Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor N Barker, Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Housing

RESOLVED – That:

(1)          the publication of the annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for Housing be noted and agreed.

(2)          Cabinet provide a governing body’s response to the report.

(3)          Councillor N Barker be elected as the Member Responsible for Complaints (‘the MRC’).

REASONS FOR DECISION - To comply with legislation and the Housing Ombudsman’s regulatory requirements. To ensure the complaints procedures were working in practice and compliant with the Code.  To ensure complaints were open and transparent to the public in line with legislation.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED – Not to have an annual complaints performance and service improvement report. This was rejected as this would not comply with legislation.  Not to appoint a MRC. This was also rejected as this would not comply with legislation.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

Cabinet considered a report which explained that the Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 placed a duty on the Housing Ombudsman to monitor compliance with the statutory Complaint Handling Code (the Code), which had come into effect on 1 April 2024. 

The report set out procedures to ensure compliance with the Code’s statutory requirements of publishing an annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for housing, along with a response from the governing body.  In additional to the annual report, a member of the governing body must be appointed to have lead responsibility for complaints, this person was referred to as the Member Responsible for Complaints (the MRC).  It was proposed that Councillor Nigel Barker be appointed as the MRC.

The Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for Housing for 2023/24 was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

Cabinet commented that it was right that tenants had a robust complaints process through which to express their dissatisfaction if something was not up to standard.  Cabinet also noted the governance structure which was in place, as well as the regular management meetings with Rykneld Homes.

RESOLVED – That:

(1)            the publication of the annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for Housing be noted and agreed.

(2)            Cabinet provide a governing body’s response to the report.

(3)            Councillor N Barker be elected as the Member Responsible for Complaints (‘the MRC’).

REASONS FOR DECISION - To comply with legislation and the Housing Ombudsman’s regulatory requirements. To ensure the complaints procedures were working in practice and compliant with the Code.  To ensure complaints were open and transparent to the public in line with legislation.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED – Not to have an annual complaints performance and service improvement report. This was rejected as this would not comply with legislation.  Not to appoint a MRC. This was also rejected as this would not comply with legislation.

This was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.