To note the contents of the report.

 Nikki Craig, Head of HR and Corporate Projects, outlined the above titled report. The annual report covered the period from 1^st April 2017 to 31^st March 2018. The report included all compliments and complaints that were made by, or on behalf of, customers and that were investigated under the formal corporate complaints policy and statutory adults and children’s complaints policies. It was highlighted that local authorities were not required to produce an annual report on complaints relating to corporate activities but that they were required under statute to report complaints submitted on adults and children’s services. It was noted that the corporate complaints team produced an annual report that captured all compliments and complaints and this in turn allowed the Council to assess how residents experience the Council. It was noted that the Royal Borough had received 203,000 phone calls, 20,000 emails and 15,000 face to face enquiries. There had been over one million visits to library with 7,000 new library members. It was highlighted that there were five million waste and recycling collections, 13,000 streetlights which had been upgraded to LED, 275 children’s safeguarding referrals, 57 families supported by the Intensive Family Support Team, 141 adult transfers into long term care, 2,254 support plan reviews, 1,157 adult safeguarding concerns and enquiries investigated and 1961 determined planning applications. It was highlighted that engagement with 98.3% of residents and 98.8% of businesses to collect tax and rates.

Members were told that in 2017/18 that the Council had received 463 compliments compared with 192 received in 2016/17. There had been 644 complaints received and that though there had been a slight decrease from the previous year there was an ambition to reduce the complaints further. Members were informed of the different stages of complaints which included, the council processes (which contained two stages), Adult process (contains one stage) and children’s process (contained three stages). It was highlighted that the Council’s complaints procedure aimed to ensure that every opportunity for resolution was sought through dialogue or local resolution before a complaint was submitted. It was outlined that where agreement was not achieved the customer had a right to complain and that the complaints process was dependant on the area of service under which the complaint came under. Complaints were recorded by email, phone call, letter or face to face and all of these were captured along with comments, compliments on the complaints database (JADU). It was highlighted that the council’s complaints process was managed through one team and that the team were independent of the adult and children’s services which ensured independence and removed the possibility of conflict of interest.

Members were told that there were 54 Local Government Ombudsmen complaints where a decision was found. 18 of these were referred back to the council as they had not been through the complaints process, 4 were deemed incomplete or invalid and were investigated, 19 were closed after initial enquiries, 4 were investigated and not upheld and 9 were investigated and upheld. At the conclusion of the report, Councillor Ilyas queried whether making complaints and compliments had been made more accessible for the public. It was confirmed that now that complaints and compliments had been linked to the Council’s database ( JADU), there was linked communication held on “my account” for residents on the Royal Borough website and that all updates and communications were held centrally in one place. Councillor Lenton queried whether complaints to the pension fund had been included in the figures and it was noted that these complaints would come under corporate complaints which were held under the financial team. At the conclusion of the discussion, members commended the ongoing work by officers to reduce the number of complaints and noted the improvements marked by the increase of compliments.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY; That the annual compliments and complaints report be noted.