Agenda item

The Portfolio Holder for Climate, Access and Engagement to submit a report informing Cabinet of the contents of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual report letter and providing a summary of the complaints received by Melton Borough Council for the year ended 31st March 2020 by the LGSCO.

Cabinet NOTED the Local Government Ombudsman Annual Review Letter 2019/20.

Adele Wylie, Director for Governance and Regulatory Services introduced the report, the purpose of which was to inform Cabinet of the contents of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s (LGSCO)annual report letter and provide a summary of the complaints received by Melton Borough Council for the year ended 31st March 2020 by the LGSCO.

Mrs. Wylie advised that 10 complaints had been received by the Ombudsman.  2 had been upheld, 2 had not been upheld, 5 had been closed after initial enquiries and advice had been issued on 1.  Of the 2 complaints upheld, 1 related to Planning and the Ombudsman found that although there had been fault in the way the Council had made its decision, it would not have affected the outcome of the planning decision.  The second related to Environmental Services, Public Protection and Regulation and the Ombudsman found fault in the way the Council had handled a complaint of noise and antisocial behaviour, which had caused stress.  The Council had agreed to pay £300 compensation and a letter of satisfaction had been received from the Ombudsman.  A number of service improvements had been put in place to minimise re-occurrences, as detailed at paragraph 5.4 of the report.

Mrs. Wylie confirmed that there had been an increase in corporate complaints received in 2019/20 compared to 2018/19.  This may be as a result of more robust internal processes.  The Council was working to identify complaint trends, lessons learned and service improvements and Senior Leadership Team had oversight of this.  To ensure strategic oversight, complaints would be incorporated in quarterly performance reports to Cabinet and Scrutiny Committee would receive copies, as part of their role to hold the Cabinet to account.  In addition, Scrutiny Committee would receive periodic complaints reports for extra strategic oversight.

During discussion the following points were noted:

·         Members noted the good work of the Portfolio Holder for Climate, Access and Engagement on this issue.

·         Mrs. Wylie would circulate a useful tool, which enabled the performance of all councils to be viewed.  This Council compared similarly to the other districts within Leicestershire.

·         The Council strived to look after its residents and give them the service they demand.  Two upheld complaints was a low number but the aim was to have none.

·         Leicestershire County Council had seen a dramatic increase in complaints and a number of them had been upheld.

·         Members highlighted the impact of noise and anti-social behaviour on residents.  The Council needed to challenge itself and demonstrate that it had met Ombudsman recommendations, especially relating to communication with Members and affected residents.  Internal checks and processes as well as Internal Audit assurance could be used to do this.

·         There was no complacency within the Council concerning complaints.  Every complaint was regarded as a learning opportunity to develop and improve.  Service excellence had been identified as a Council priority within its refreshed Corporate Strategy, which would be considered at Council on 23 September.  The Council continually challenged itself to develop services around people rather than processes and structures.

Cabinet NOTED the Local Government Ombudsman Annual Review Letter 2019/20.

Reason for the decision

It is a constitutional requirement for Cabinet to have strategic oversight of complaints data and receiving complaints data evidences good governance, in line with the Governance Framework.