Issue - meetings

The Compensation and Reimbursement Policy is to be presented.

Cabinet APPROVED the HRA Compensation and Reimbursement Policy.

The Director for Housing and Communities (Deputy Chief Executive) introduced the report. The Leader moved the recommendation and Councillor Butcher seconded the motion.

The policy outlines the process for reviewing what the amount should be and that there is a calculation formulae for Officers to use.

Following a query on whether there is an equivalent policy for non-housing items, it was confirmed that there wasn’t. Compensation awards for non-housing cases is very rare and when it does occur, the Council would be guided by the ombudsman’s schedule.

Regarding compensation for missed appointments, Cabinet were reassured that contracts would be updated to ensure the costs are covered by the contractors.

It was confirmed that Cabinet are content for a report to return outlining a threshold, with lower values delegated to Housing Officer and higher values reserved for the Section 151 Officer and the Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED

Cabinet APPROVED the HRA Compensation and Reimbursement Policy.

(Key decision)

Reasons for recommendation

As a landlord, Melton Borough Council receives and investigates complaints from council tenants. These complaints are handled in accordance with the Customer Feedback and Complaints Policy and the Housing Ombudsman’s complaint handling code. These have a clear focus on handling complaints fairly, proactively and transparently and to ensure that appropriate remedies are considered where the council is at fault.

The proposed Compensation and Reimbursement Policy will support the Customer Feedback and Complaints Policy and provide a framework for allocating fair and consistent amounts of compensation and reimbursement to tenants.

The proposed policy for the HRA is aligned with the principles of the Corporate Compensation Policy.