Issue - meetings

Reports attached.

The report and appendices before Members provided the committee with details relating to the Annual Review letter of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

Members noted that the LGSCO had made decisions on 44 complaints compared to 85 the previous year.

Officers advised that following the Ombudsman’s recommendations Havering had a 100% compliance rate compared to 99% in other similar authorities.

The report gave further insight into how many of the complaints had been closed, not upheld and upheld with details of the financial penalties the council had to finance in upheld with maladministration cases.

Members noted that the activity in the report related to the LGSCO annual letter but there had also been 12 Housing Ombudsman decisions this information was clarified in appendix 2.

In response to a question relating to what lessons were learnt when the council had been financially penalised. Officers advised that learning from previous complaints was crucial in putting in checks and measures to ensure the same mistakes were not made again.

Recommendations were made to service areas and followed up by the complaints team to make sure they had been implemented.

Officers also advised that checks were made at stage 2 of the complaints process to make sure there was no trend of complaints being made.

Members noted the content of the report and appendices.