To present to Cabinet the Annual Housing Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for scrutiny and challenge, which includes a self-assessment carried out against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code for 2025/26 prior to publication and submission.

RESOLVED that Cabinet -

1)       in accordance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code and in compliance with Cabinet’s scrutiny and oversight requirements, receives and formally notes the Council’s Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report, which includes the Annual Self-assessment against the Code, as set out in Appendices A and B;

2)       formally provides the following response to the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement report, for publication:-

“Cabinet welcomes the Annual Housing Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report, including self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code presented by Cllr Baker in his role as Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning and member responsible for complaints.

We would like to thank Cllr Baker for continuing in this role and his commitment to it. We know that during the year covered by the report the service has introduced further new policies and undertaken significant work in respect of compliance with the Consumer Standards. Our tenants have been more involved in reviewing our performance in respect of complaint handling and we thank them for their input and insights into their own experiences.

As the report highlights, we do need to make some improvement to how we respond to complaints and learn from what those who complain tell us.

Cabinet is concerned to see that satisfaction with our approach to complaint handling, as measured through the annual tenant satisfaction survey, has decreased when compared to the 2024/25 survey response. It is also concerning to see our speed of response to Stage 2 complaints decrease over the previous year when we hoped for a year-on-year improvement. Cabinet would also like Cllr Baker to ensure that measures are put in place to improve tenant satisfaction and response times and welcome the improvements proposed in the report.

The self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code is an important document that Cllr Baker and our tenants have had input to.

Overall, Cabinet endorses the self-assessment but as has already been said, would like to see further improvement to complaint response times and learning.”;

3)       authorises Officers to publish both the report and the Cabinet’s response on the Council’s website within the section relating to complaints and to submit the self-assessment to the Housing Ombudsman by 30 September 2026; and

4)       notes the amended figures for the annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures return, as set out in the body of this report.

Cabinet considered a report of the Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning (A.2) that present to Cabinet the Annual Housing Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report for scrutiny and challenge, which included a self-assessment carried out against the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code for 2025/26 prior to publication and submission to the Housing Ombudsman by 30 September 2026.

Cabinet was reminded that the Code provided the statutory framework for effective, fair and accessible complaint handling by social landlords. It required landlords to learn from complaints, demonstrate service improvement, and provide assurance through annual reporting, self-assessment, governing body oversight and publication.

It was reported that the Council had updated its housing complaints arrangements in response to changes to the Code, including the adoption of a stand-alone Housing Complaints Policy and, in 2025, a harmonised Corporate and Housing Complaints Policy to reflect the more closely aligned complaint handling codes of the Housing Ombudsman and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning acted as the Member Responsible for Complaints and provided ongoing scrutiny through regular reviews of complaint performance, trends and learning.

Members were informed that housing complaints had increased in 2025/26 compared with 2024/25, continuing the upward trend seen in the previous year. The service had received 84 Stage 1 complaints, of which 18 had escalated to Stage 2. Housing repairs had accounted for 55% of both Stage 1 (comprising 46) and Stage 2 (comprising 10) complaints, whilst tenancy matters had accounted for 33% of Stage 1 (comprising 28) complaints and 39% of Stage 2 (comprising 7) complaints. Tenant satisfaction with complaint handling, as measured through the annual tenant perception survey, had fallen to 36.3%, compared with 49% in the previous year.

Cabinet was made aware that the Annual Report identified service improvements arising from complaint learning and confirmed that the self-assessment and performance information had been reviewed by the Member Responsible for Complaints. Complaint information had also been considered through the Council’s Housing Improvement Board and Tenant Panel, supporting regular challenge, assurance and a continued focus on improving outcomes for residents.

Members were cognisant that the report also highlighted amendments to the Council’s Tenant Satisfaction Measures return for 2025/26. Following Cabinet approval and submission to the Regulator of Social Housing in June 2026, subsequent queries had resulted in amendments to TSM RP02 and corrections to CH01 and CH02. Those amended figures had been accepted by the Regulator.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing & Planning made the following statement at the meeting:-

“Leader, I introduce to Cabinet the Annual Housing Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report, for 2025/2026, which as Cabinet is well aware, is required under the Housing Ombudsman’s regime to ensure that this Council complies with the statutory Complaint handling Code.

The Complaint Handling Code 2024 requires landlords to produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge and this information should be presented to the landlord’s governing body, in our case, Cabinet.

The Complaint Handling Code requires one member  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38