Compliments and Complaints

Introduction

As a council, we are committed to providing excellent customer service and we welcome feedback from our customers. We will always seek to do our best, but we recognise that sometimes things go wrong. If you are dissatisfied with the level of service you have received we want to know so we can investigate what’s happened and try to put things right.

Your feedback gives us the opportunity to learn and improve our services.

If you are telling us about something for the first time, such as a missed bin, fly tipping or a repair to your council property we may progress these as a request for service. If this is the case, we’ll let you know and tell you what happens next.

Housing Ombudsman complaint handling requirements

We have recently carried out a self-assessment to ensure our complaint handling meets the requirements of the Housing Ombudsman. The assessment can be downloaded below.

Governing Body Response:

‘The council welcomes this report as a transparent reflection of how we have managed complaints and acted on resident feedback over the past year. The council has found the Housing Ombudsman’s annual assessment process to be a constructive and valuable experience, providing clear opportunities to reflect on our services, celebrate progress, and identify where further improvements can be made. We are pleased to recognise significant improvements in the timeliness of complaint responses and reaffirm our determination to respond to all complaints within the timelines specified in the Complaint Handling Code going forward.

We will maintain close oversight of key areas including repair services and tenancy management, and ensuring that lessons from complaints directly inform service design and investment decisions. Looking ahead, we remain committed to strengthening our positive relationship with the Ombudsman, continuing to embed a culture where complaints are opportunities for learning and improvement, and enhance services that meet and exceed residents’ expectations.’