Issue - meetings

Ombudsman Report 2023/24

Purpose

This report presents the Annual Complaints statistics as provided by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the year 1st April 2023 – 31st March 2024.

Recommendation

That the Audit and Governance Committee resolves to:

1. Note the report and the Annual Review Letter 2023 – 2024.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The purpose of the report was to present the Annual Complaints statistics as provided by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the year 1 April 2023 – 31 March 2024.

The Director of Governance and Development introduced the item. They explained that the report presented the yearly letter received by the Local Government Ombudsman. The letter provided a summary of the ten complaints received by the Ombudsman, of which one was upheld. The Director of Governance and Development explained that the Council followed a three-stage internal complaint handling process, but that if a complaint was handled in a way that the complainant was dissatisfied with, the complainant could complain to the Ombudsman. Some complaints were made directly to the Ombudsman and were referred to as ‘premature’ in the letter. The Ombudsman had asked all Councils to review their complaint handling code, and this would be presented to the Committee at its next meeting.

Members discussed the report and raised the following points;

Members asked how the £100 maladministration fee had been calculated, the Director of Governance and Development explained that this was a symbolic figure.
The Director of Governance and Development stated that all complaints were reviewed in order to learn any lessons.
As the numbers were not presented in a table year to year, it was difficult to keep track of trends year on year.

RESOLVED: To NOTE the report

Issue - meetings

Ombudsman Report 2023/24

Meeting: 24/10/2024 - Audit and Governance Committee (Item 295)

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