Lead Member – Councillor Rob Macey – Portfolio Holder for Culture and Digital

Report of Sarah Dodds, Feedback and Insight Team Leader

RESOLVED:

That

a)    Cabinet noted the implications of the new code for the Council’s complaint handling process and identified a Member specifically responsible for complaints

b)    Cabinet approved (with amendments if appropriate) the draft response to the LGSCO consultation set out at Appendix B.

The Portfolio Holder for Culture and Digital presented the report which sought Cabinet approval for the council’s draft response to the LGSCO’s consultation.

Members noted that one of the key changes was reducing response times for Stage 1 from 30 to 10 working days and Stage 2 from 30 to 20 working days which may have resource implications for the council. The Team and Service Managers who deal with most Stage 1 responses will be placed under increased pressure with this challenging requirement. The Complaints Monitoring Officer will also be under increased pressure given the reduced time to respond to Stage 2 review requests. For context, in 2022/23 the average response time for Stage 1 complaints across the Council was 26 days, underlining the scale of challenge to meet the 10- day response time propose by the LGSCO, considering other service pressures.

The other key changes were to appoint one Member who would be responsible for complaints, who must receive regular updates, performance, and trends (complaints are currently covered as part of the Cabinet member for Culture and Digital portfolio); and where we ask for feedback on a service, councils must include details of how an individual can complain.

Members acknowledged the additional expectations included in the Code, which rather than simplify, will add additional administrative burdens for Shropshire Council.

A query was raised regarding the financial implications as stated in the report as there will be increased pressure on resources and therefore a likely cost implication.

RESOLVED:

That

a)    Cabinet noted the implications of the new code for the Council’s complaint handling process and identified a Member specifically responsible for complaints

b)    Cabinet approved (with amendments if appropriate) the draft response to the LGSCO consultation set out at Appendix B.