SHEFFIELD CITY COUNCIL Standards Committee Report of: Julie Bullen, Director of Customer Service/ Lee Adams, Deputy Chief Executive ______________________________________________________________ Date: 20th December 2011 ______________________________________________________________ Subject: Annual Report of Local Government Ombudsman ______________________________________________________________ Author of Report: Andrew Fellows, Customer Service Manager and Jenny Callaghan (Complaints Manager) ______________________________________________________________ Summary: This report provides an overview of the Local Government Ombudsman’s (LGO) Annual Review Letter (Appendix B) to Sheffield City Council, and also contains details of the complaints received, and formally referred and determined by the LGO during the twelve months from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 (Appendix A). The report is jointly presented by the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Customer Services, who are, respectively, the Council’s LGO Monitoring Officer, and the Director responsible for managing the Complaints Service. ______________________________________________________________ Recommendations: The Standards Committee is asked to consider the LGO’s Annual Review Letter and LGO Annual Report in order to provide its view on the performance of LGO complaints and the issues raised. ____________________________________________________________ Background Papers: Local Government Ombudsman’s Annual Review Letter Category of Report: Open Report of the Deputy Chief Executive/ Director of Customer Services – Annual Report of Local Government Ombudsman 1 Summary 1.1 This report provides an overview of the Local Government Ombudsman’s (LGO) Annual Review Letter (Appendix B) to Sheffield City Council, and also contains details of the complaints received, and formally referred and determined by the LGO during the twelve months from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 (Appendix A). 1.2 The report is a jointly presented by the Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Customer Services, who are, respectively, the Council’s LGO Monitoring Officer, and the Director responsible for managing the Council’s Complaints Service. 2 What does this mean for the people of Sheffield? 2.1 The delivery of effective customer service, including ‘getting it right first time’, is an important priority for the Council. However, we recognise that the Council does not always get it right first time, and so an effective approach to dealing with dissatisfaction and complaints is an important part of the work of the Council. Central to this is the learning that comes out of the complaints we receive. 2.2 Day to day responsibility for dealing with complaints rests with service managers and Directors. Customer Services provides support to services, including guidance and advice, complaints management tools, and quality assurance processes. In addition, on behalf of the Chief Executive and the Monitoring Officer, Customer Services also manages the day to day relationship with the LGO. 2.3 Included in an effective approach to complaints management is a robust approach to learning. The development of our approach to learning across Council services and strategic partners is an area that will be developed further by Customer Services through the Customer First Programme. 2.4 The Customer First Programme is a strategic programme, which is transforming the way the Council delivers customer service. As part of the programme, the Council has introduced a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, which will improve the experience of people who contact the Council. The CRM system will be extended during 2012 to include the management of complaints and customer feedback. 2.5 Section 4 and 5 of the Annual Report (Appendix A) highlights the learning from complaints dealt with by the LGO, and includes a summary of the remedies and improvements made. 3 Background 3.1 The LGO provides a free, independent and impartial service. It considers complaints about the administrative actions of councils and some other authorities. It cannot question what a council has done simply because someone does not agree with it. If it finds something has gone wrong, such as poor service or service failure, and that a person has suffered as a result, the LGO aims to get it put right by recommending a suitable remedy. The LGO also uses the findings from investigation work to help local authorities provide better public services through initiatives such as special reports, training and annual reviews. 3.2 The LGO writes to the Council in the form of an Annual Review Letter (Appendix B) to summarise the main issues raised in respect of complaints received against Sheffield City Council. 3.3 In addition, Customer Services manages the Council’s approach to Ombudsman complaints on behalf of the Chief Executive and the Monitoring Officer, and compiles an annual report that provides additional information about our performance (Appendix A). 4 Key issues in 2010 – 2011 Annual Review Letter and Annual Report 4.1 The LGO received 210 enquiries/complaints about Sheffield City Council during 2010/11. 4.2 Sixty-two of these were signposted back to the Council’s local complaints procedures. A further 41 resulted in informal advice being given to the complainant. 4.3 The remaining 107 were forwarded to the LGO Investigation Team for consideration. 4.4 During 2010/11, the LGO formally referred 155 complaints to the Council - 62 of these were referred to the Council as ‘premature’, with the Council asked to investigate and respond to the complainant under local complaint procedures; and 60 were deemed outside of jurisdiction for other reasons or decided with the LGO making no or only informal enquiries. 4.5 The LGO closed 36 complaints during 2010/11 on the basis of a local settlement. 4.6 The Council paid £7,975 in compensatory payments and other reimbursements. 4.7 By far the largest number of complaints were about Housing; the LGO categorised 33% of contacts as Housing. 4.8 The Council’s average response time to initial LGO written enquiries during 2010/11 was 33.6 days. 4.9 Included at Appendix D is the 2011-12 Quarter 2 report, which shows the details of the complaints dealt with by the LGO so far this year. 5 How Sheffield Compares 5.1 Housing continues to be the highest subject category of complaint in Sheffield. This was also the picture nationally, with ’housing’ complaints accounting for 20% of the total number of complaints received by the LGO during 2010/11. 5.2 Across the core cities, Sheffield has the second highest percentage of Ombudsman complaints closed on the basis of a local settlement (39%), compared with other core cities which ranged from 28% - 41%. 5.3 Average response times to initial formal enquiries during 2010/11 across the core cities ranged from 16.8 to 33.6 days (Sheffield’s response time was 33.6 days). However, the LGO recognises that during 2010/11, Sheffield City Council dealt with a significant number of preliminary enquiries that are not included in the published response time figures. The Council received 53 preliminary enquiries during 2010/11, and responded with an average response time of 9 days. 6 Current and future priorities 6.1 The main priority for 2011/12 continues to be to reduce initial response times on formal LGO enquiries without adversely affecting the quality of responses. 6.2 The other priority for 2011/12 is to explore the options for future recording of Ombudsman enquiries/complaints as part of the Customer First Programme. This is so we can improve the detail of formal recording and reporting on Ombudsman complaints, and most importantly, improve the learning that stems from them. 7 Recommendation 7.1 The Standards Committee is asked to consider the LGO’s Annual Review Letter and LGO Annual Report in order to provide its view on the performance of LGO complaints and the issues raised. Appendix A Annual Report of Local Government Ombudsman Complaints 1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011 Customer Services - Sheffield City Council Annual Report Content Section Page 1.0 Context/overview 2 2.0 Enquiries/complaints received 2 3.0 Outcomes of complaints 4 4.0 Reports/Local Settlements 5 5.0 Learning from complaints 11 6.0 Complaint Handling/Response Times 12 Sheffield City Council 7.0 Developments 2010/11 13 8.0 Priorities for 2010/11 14 Contact: Complaints Team Appendix B: LGO Annual Review 2010/11 Floor 2 Howden House Union Street Sheffield S1 2SH Appendix C: Core City Comparative Information t: 0114 2734660 f: 0114 2734652 e: [email protected] www.sheffield.gov.uk Customer Services - Sheffield City Council 1 Annual Report 1.0 Context / Overview This report provides information about the complaints received, referred and determined by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) in relation to Sheffield City Council during the twelve months between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2011. The report incorporates and builds upon the feedback received from the Local Government Ombudsman as part of the Annual Review of the complaints they have dealt with about Sheffield City Council during 2010/11. A copy of the Ombudsman’s Annual Review Letter is attached as Appendix B. The Local Government Ombudsman’s office provides a free, independent and impartial service. It considers complaints about the administrative actions of councils and some other authorities. It cannot question what a council has done simply because someone does not agree with it. If it finds something has gone wrong, such as poor service, service failure, delay or bad advice, and that a person has suffered as a result, the LGO aims to get it put right by recommending a suitable remedy. The LGO also uses the findings from investigation work to help authorities provide better public services through initiatives such as special reports, training and annual reviews. 2.0 Enquiries and complaints received The LGO Advice Service received 210 enquiries/complaints about Sheffield City Council during 2010/11. Sixty-two of these were signposted informally/formally back to the Council’s local complaints procedures.