Issue - meetings

Customer Feedback Annual Report

Meeting: 19/11/2024 - Corporate Overview Group (Item 22)

22 Customer Feedback Annual Report pdf icon PDF 211 KB

Report of the Director – Finance and Corporate Services

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

 

The Communications and Customer Service Manager provided a short presentation to support the Annual Customer Feedback Report 2023/24, that was circulated with the agenda. The presentation provided comparisons to previous year’s performances and those of other local authorities in the East Midlands.

 

The Communications and Customer Service Manager highlighted some of the headlines as follows:

 

·       48 complaints were received, a slight decrease compared with last year and typical of recent yearly trends of around 40-50 per year

 

·       A decrease in the percentage of complaints escalated past stage 1 at 27%, from the previous reporting period at 36%

 

·       Consistency in handling complaints has remained high, as has the number of complaints responded to within target

 

·       Out of the 28 complaints received, 79.2% were unjustified, which shows a significant increase from 66% in the previous year

 

·       Expectation levels appear to be rising indicated by some of the resident survey results

 

·       203 complaints were received on services – 26 more than previous year.

 

With regards to the escalation of complaints the Communications and Customer Service Manager explained that around 75% of complaints received on the webform were for minor service issues and were resolved the same day or soon after. 15 out of the 48 complaints received were escalated to stage 2 the issues being around: Environmental Health (4), Planning (4), Housing Allocation (2), Insurance Claim (1), online payments (1), waste collection (1) and Licensing Application (1).

 

The Group noted that out of 55 complaints 51 were answered within the target time (stage1 and 2). However, there were a few cases where there were unavoidable delays in responding to complaints and that complainants had been informed. With regards to the complaints being justified, there were 10 out of the 48 (20.8%) which is lower than the previous year (34%).

 

In concluding, the Communications and Customer Services Manager highlighted the compliments that had been received from residents up from 177 in the previous year to 203 in 2023/24.

 

Both Councillor Edyvean and Councillor Matthews provided an observational comment that the number of complaints are incredibly low for a local authority with a good set of statistics to be proud off.

 

Councillor Plant asked how easy it is for residents to complain, siting some members of the community can’t or don’t have access to email and could a person contact about a complaint by telephone. Councillor Plant also asked about referring complaints to the Ombudsman. The Communication and Customer Services Manager advised that an ombudsman recommendation where a complaint is upheld will usually be of a more complex nature, such as planning and what we can and can’t do legally. Sometimes such complaints are of a national nature and can only be changed by lobbying government. The Director for Finance and Corporate Services added, officers deal with complaints and the ombudsman route is the last resort for the complainant.

 

Councillor Polenta commented on the legality challenges around the planning service and the planning framework and processes in place and what a typical planning complaint might  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22