Compliments & Complaints Annual Report 2024 to 2025
5. Stage 2 Corporate complaints
The Council’s aim is to resolve complaints promptly: however, customers have the option to escalate their complaint within the Council’s complaints process (where this applies) and to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) for external independent investigation. Escalation rates serve as a good measure of how effectively complaints are being handled at the initial point of service.
The graph below shows the stage 2 corporate complaints received by each directorate. Compared to the 323 cases recorded in 2023/24, there were 456 cases progressing to this stage, representing a 40% increase. While there was a marginal rise in stage 1 complaints, the escalation rate to stage 2 appears disproportionate, as over 20% of stage 1 complaints being escalated to stage 2, this will be a focus for the team in the coming year. Stage 2 entails a thorough examination of the stage 1 response by Senior Complaints and Improvements officers within the Complaints and Improvements Team.
Stage 2 Complaints received by directorate
| Number of stage 2 complaints received | |
|---|---|
| Adults & Health | 3 |
| Children's Services | 155 |
| Communities | 176 |
| Planning Growth & Sustainability | 93 |
| Resources | 24 |
| Deputy Chief Executive | 5 |
Total received = 323
The average response time for Stage 2 Corporate Complaints is 31 working days and within the policy response times of 40 working days.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has issued new guidance in the form of a complaints Code, which includes proportionality in complaint handling and considering personal injustice. This provides us the opportunity to reassess our process for managing Stage 2 complaint escalations and determine whether an in-depth review is required for all cases, thereby reducing the number of cases considered at this stage in the process.
The upheld or partially upheld rate at this stage stands at 39%, with well over half of cases the stage 1 response having adequately dealt with the complaint.