Housing performance
Annual Complaints and Service Improvement report (2023/24)
The Annual Complaints and Service Improvement Report is required by the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.
It's an overview of the complaints received by us as a social housing landlord and covers 1 April 2023 to the 31 March 2024.
The report was considered and noted by our Executive Committee at its meeting in September 2024.
Complaint Handling Code - Self-assessment
The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, introduced in July 2020, sets out good practice that will allow landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.
The code sets out what should expect from us as your landlord when you complain. The requirements in the code also provide residents with information about how to make a complaint and how to progress it through the landlord’s internal complaints procedure.
We, as a landlord, must carry out an annual assessment against the code to ensure our complaint handling remains in line with its requirements:
This self-assessment form should be completed by the complaints officer and discussed at the landlord’s governing body annually. Evidence should be included to support all statements with additional commentary as necessary.
Section 1 - Definition of a complaint
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | A complaint must be defined as: ‘an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.' | Yes | Section 4.3 of our policy sets out the definition of a complaint: ‘A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of service, actions, or lack of actions by the organisation, its staff, or those acting on behalf of the organisation. It may affect an individual or group of individuals’. Examples included within the policy are:
A copy of North Northamptonshire Council’s current Compliments, Comments and Complaint’s Policy is available. The new policy was approved by the council’s Executive Committee in July 2024 to align all services to the same timescales. The new version of the policy was published on the council’s website in the complaints section on the 14 October. |
| 1.3 | The resident does not have to use the word ‘complaint’ for it to be treated as such. Whenever a resident expresses dissatisfaction landlords must give them the choice to make complaint. A complaint that is submitted via a third party or representative must be handled in line with the landlord’s complaints policy. | Yes | Residents are not required to use the word ‘complaint’, if a resident expresses dissatisfaction this will be investigated and responded to within the complaints process. The organisation is committed to ensuring there is a comprehensive understanding to support this and will continue to work to ensure complaints in all forms are recognised and responded to. |
| 1.4 | Landlords must recognise the difference between a service request and a complaint. This must be set out in their complaints policy. A service request is a request from a resident to the landlord requiring action to be taken to put something right. Service requests are not complaints, but must be recorded, monitored and reviewed regularly. | Yes | Where a service request is received by the complaints team, this will be logged and passed to the relevant person to respond to the service request. Section 4 of the council’s complaints policy defines the difference between a complaint and a service request. On the council website customers are provided with the opportunity on the complaints page to submit an online form to report an issue or service request. |
| 1.5 | A complaint must be raised when the resident expresses dissatisfaction with the response to their service request, even if the handling of the service request remains ongoing. Landlords must not stop their efforts to address the service request if the resident complains. | Yes | Residents can make a complaint at any time during the handling of a service request, this will be investigated following the complaints process. The service request will still be addressed. The council’s complaints policy states: ‘Action to address a service request will not stop if a complaint is raised about the issue while action is still ongoing.’ |
| 1.6 | An expression of dissatisfaction with services made through a survey is not defined as a complaint, though wherever possible, the person completing the survey should be made aware of how they can pursue a complaint if they wish to. Where landlords ask for wider feedback about their services, they also must provide details of how residents can complain. | Yes | The Tenant Satisfaction Survey of all council tenants conducted in 2023/24 asked whether tenants would be happy to share their details with the council in order to assess further any dissatisfaction. The next survey is being conducted by telephone providing the opportunity to understand dissatisfaction where possible. The latest edition of the tenant newsletter (November 24) has a page dedicated to the complaints process along with information on the Housing Ombudsman to ensure all tenants understand how they can make a complaint if they need to. The Housing service are currently reviewing operational satisfaction surveys and will be adding a link to the corporate complaints policy to the bottom of surveys. |
Section 2 - Exclusions
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Landlords must accept a complaint unless there is a valid reason not to do so. If landlords decide not to accept a complaint they must be able to evidence their reasoning. Each complaint must be considered on its own merits. | Yes | All complaints are considered on their own merits, and will be accepted as a complaint, unless they fall within the exclusions set out in the council’s corporate complaints policy in section 2. Section 2 provides detail on what falls outside of the scope of the corporate complaints policy. |
| 2.2 | A complaints policy must set out the circumstances in which a matter will not be considered as a complaint or escalated, and these circumstances must be fair and reasonable to residents. Acceptable exclusions include:
| Yes | Section 2 of North Northamptonshire Council’s complaints policy sets out exclusions. The exclusions are outside of the Housing Ombudsman jurisdiction and are normally where there are Government regulations that set out how we make a decision. The appeals process for such decisions would be separate from the complaints process. The council’s complaints page on the website also includes information on when the corporate complaints process does not apply and where there is a separate process to be followed. |
| 2.3 | Landlords must accept complaints referred to them within 12 months of the issue occurring or the resident becoming aware of the issue, unless they are excluded on other grounds. Landlords must consider whether to apply discretion to accept complaints made outside this time limit where there are good reasons to do so. | Yes | In section 4 of the council’s corporate policy it sets out that complainants should contact the council as soon as possible after the matter they wish to complain about and that complaints must be made within 12 months of the issue arising, or when you become aware of the issue. |
| 2.4 | If a landlord decides not to accept a complaint, an explanation must be provided to the resident setting out the reasons why the matter is not suitable for the complaints process and the right to take that decision to the Ombudsman. If the Ombudsman does not agree that the exclusion has been fairly applied, the Ombudsman may tell the landlord to take on the complaint. | Yes | All complaints will be accepted unless they fall under the exclusions listed within the policy. If correspondence falls within the list of exclusions, and therefore follows an alternative process to the complaints process, an explanation will be provided to the resident. |
| 2.5 | Landlords must not take a blanket approach to excluding complaints; they must consider the individual circumstances of each complaint. | Yes | All complaints are considered on an individual basis. |
Section 3 – Accessibility and awareness
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Landlords must make it easy for residents to complain by providing different channels through which they can make a complaint. Landlords must consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and anticipate the needs and reasonable adjustments of residents who may need to access the complaints process. | Yes | There are many ways to complain to North Northamptonshire Council including:
These are all listed on the council’s website and within the policy. |
| 3.2 | Residents must be able to raise their complaints in any way and with any member of staff. All staff must be aware of the complaints process and be able to pass details of the complaint to the appropriate person within the landlord. | Yes | A copy of the corporate complaints policy is available and a dedicated complaints section has now been added to the council’s intranet. Complaints training rolled out council wide at the end of September to cover the new policy requirements for wider services and the new system being introduced. |
| 3.3 | High volumes of complaints must not be seen as a negative, as they can be indicative of a well-publicised and accessible complaints process. Low complaint volumes are potentially a sign that residents are unable to complain. | Yes | Complaint levels indicate that the Corporate Complaint’s policy is easily accessible. |
| 3.4 | Landlords must make their complaint policy available in a clear and accessible format for all residents. This will detail the two stage process, what will happen at each stage, and the timeframes for responding. The policy must also be published on the landlord’s website. | Yes | A copy of the complaints policy is available. All documents on the council’s website are produced in an accessible format with clear language. Along with the policy document the two stages are also set out on the complaints page of the council’s website. |
| 3.5 | The policy must explain how the landlord will publicise details of the complaints policy, including information about the Ombudsman and this Code. | Yes | Link to the Housing Ombudsman website is included in the corporate complaints policy and reference to the code in section 3. |
| 3.6 | Landlords must give residents the opportunity to have a representative deal with their complaint on their behalf, and to be represented or accompanied at any meeting with the landlord. | Yes | Section 4 of the council’s corporate complaints policy states comments, compliments and complaints may be made on someone else's behalf with their written consent. |
| 3.7 | Landlords must provide residents with information on their right to access the Ombudsman service and how the individual can engage with the Ombudsman about their complaint. | Yes | The Housing Ombudsman details are included in the corporate complaint’s policy, as well as on our website. The Housing Ombudsman details are also part of complaint responses advising customers, they can contact the Housing Ombudsman service to investigate their complaint and that this will be an independent investigation. Complaint responses include details on the Housing Ombudsman Service along with a link to the complaint form and contact details. |
Section 4 – Complaint handling staff
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Landlords must have a person or team assigned to take responsibility for complaint handling, including liaison with the Ombudsman and ensuring complaints are reported to the governing body (or equivalent). This Code will refer to that person or team as the ‘complaints officer’. This role may be in addition to other duties. | Yes | The council has a Corporate Complaints Team who are responsible for acknowledging complaints and passing to the relevant service area for investigation. The Corporate Complaints Team is responsible for the record keeping of all complaints and is responsible for reporting complaints performance to councillors and the Corporate Management Team. Housing is currently undergoing a restructure which plans to introduce a dedicated Complaint’s Officer within the Housing team to co-ordinate all Housing complaints and be the liaison with the Corporate Complaints Team to ensure there is a strong oversight and responsibility for complaints within the service. |
| 4.2 | The complaints officer must have access to staff at all levels to facilitate the prompt resolution of complaints. They must also have the authority and autonomy to act to resolve disputes promptly and fairly. | Yes | The complaints process has recently been reviewed. The investigation and responses of complaints are now dealt with within each service area, this helps to improve access to relevant staff and systems. The policy ensures complaints are responded to by officers with authority to investigate and resolve including where the resolution involves decision making. |
| 4.3 | Landlords are expected to prioritise complaint handling and a culture of learning from complaints. All relevant staff must be suitably trained in the importance of complaint handling. It is important that complaints are seen as a core service and must be resourced to handle complaints effectively. | Yes | Once a complaint response is sent to the resident, a learning plan must be produced and sent to the Corporate Complaints Team along with the complaint response. These learning plans will be monitored by the service and used to help improve our services. |
Section 5: Complaint handling process
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.1 | Landlords must have a single policy in place for dealing with complaints covered by this Code. Residents must not be treated differently if they complain. | Yes | The council has one corporate complaints policy approved at executive in July 2024, which covers all aspects of council services which are now all aligned to the same timescales required within the complaint handling codes. |
| 5.2 | The early and local resolution of issues between landlords and residents is key to effective complaint handling. It is not appropriate to have extra named stages (such as ‘stage 0’ or ‘informal complaint’) as this causes unnecessary confusion. | Yes | North Northamptonshire Council has a two stage Complaints process. There is no additional ‘informal’ stage. |
| 5.3 | A process with more than two stages is not acceptable under any circumstances as this will make the complaint process unduly long and delay access to the Ombudsman. | Yes | North Northamptonshire Council has a two stage complaints process only. |
| 5.4 | Where a landlord’s complaint response is handled by a third party (e.g. a contractor or independent adjudicator) at any stage, it must form part of the two stage complaints process set out in this Code. Residents must not be expected to go through two complaints processes. | Yes | This is not applicable as complaints are not dealt with by a contractor. |
| 5.5 | Landlords are responsible for ensuring that any third parties handle complaints in line with the Code. | Yes | This is not applicable as complaints are not dealt with by a contractor. |
| 5.6 | When a complaint is logged at Stage 1 or escalated to Stage 2, landlords must set out their understanding of the complaint and the outcomes the resident is seeking. The Code will refer to this as “the complaint definition”. If any aspect of the complaint is unclear, the resident must be asked for clarification. | Yes | The council’s complaints responses include the understanding of the complaint. The template response letter sets out the need to confirm what the complaint was about. |
| 5.7 | When a complaint is acknowledged at either stage, landlords must be clear which aspects of the complaint they are, and are not, responsible for and clarify any areas where this is not clear. | Yes | If there are aspects of the complaint that the council is not responsible for, this will be explained in the acknowledgement. The council’s new Tenant’s Handbook will be published in December 2024 and will include areas that the council is responsible for. along with defining what the tenant is responsible for. |
| 5.8 | At each stage of the complaints process, complaint handlers must:
| Yes | The Council’s Complaints process complies with this. |
| 5.9 | Where a response to a complaint will fall outside the timescales set out in this Code, the landlord must agree with the resident suitable intervals for keeping them informed about their complaint. | Yes | Requests for extensions to timescales for responding to complaints must only be made if there is a good reason to do so. The service areas are responsible for liaising with the resident where an extension is needed in order to investigate the complaint and agree suitable intervals to keep the resident informed. The service area should then report the extension to the Corporate Complaints Team for recording purposes. |
| 5.10 | Landlords must make reasonable adjustments for residents where appropriate under the Equality Act 2010. Landlords must keep a record of any reasonable adjustments agreed, as well as a record of any disabilities a resident has disclosed. Any agreed reasonable adjustments must be kept under active review. | Yes | The Council welcomes complaints from all sections of the community and may encourage people to seek support from friends or other representatives who may be able to assist them in making a complaint. The Council will advise people on where to find such assistance as appropriate. Assistance will be given where appropriate to people who have difficulty with written or spoken English and to disabled people. People will also be able to make complaints in their own language if this is preferable. The Council’s intention is that all members of the public should have full access to the Compliments, Comments or Complaints Procedure. |
| 5.11 | Landlords must not refuse to escalate a complaint through all stages of the complaints procedure unless it has valid reasons to do so. Landlords must clearly set out these reasons, and they must comply with the provisions set out in section 2 of this Code. | Yes | The council complies with section 2 of the code. |
| 5.12 | A full record must be kept of the complaint, and the outcomes at each stage. This must include the original complaint and the date received, all correspondence with the resident, correspondence with other parties, and any relevant supporting documentation such as reports or surveys. | Yes | The majority of complaints received are made through the online website form. All complaints are logged centrally by the Corporate Complaints Team before sending to the service areas for a response. The responses are then logged by the Corporate Complaints Team. |
| 5.13 | Landlords must have processes in place to ensure a complaint can be remedied at any stage of its complaints process. Landlords must ensure appropriate remedies can be provided at any stage of the complaints process without the need for escalation. | Yes | A new remedy policy has been drafted and approved. This policy sets out appropriate remedies. This policy is published internally only. |
| 5.14 | Landlords must have policies and procedures in place for managing unacceptable behaviour from residents and their representatives. Landlords must be able to evidence reasons for putting any restrictions in place and must keep restrictions under regular review. | Yes | Sometimes people may behave unreasonably, be unacceptably persistent, stop us looking into the matter or make repeated complaints about the same subject as well as contacting us many more times than is necessary to resolve a matter. We call this type of complaint persistent or vexatious. In these cases, we may limit our responses or advise residents that we cannot respond. The Council’s Unacceptable or Unreasonable Communications and Behaviour Policy has been reviewed, revised and received Executive approval. A copy of the policy will be published externally and the council is developing it’s processes and support for managing unacceptable behaviour. |
| 5.15 | Any restrictions placed on contact due to unacceptable behaviour must be proportionate and demonstrate regard for the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. | Yes | The Council’s Unacceptable or Unreasonable Communications and Behaviour Policy has been reviewed and approved. The new version of the policy strengthens the proportionate element. |
Section 6 – Complaints stages
Stage 1
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.1 | Landlords must have processes in place to consider which complaints can be responded to as early as possible, and which require further investigation. Landlords must consider factors such as the complexity of the complaint and whether the resident is vulnerable or at risk. Most stage 1 complaints can be resolved promptly, and an explanation, apology or resolution provided to the resident. | Yes | Improvements have been made to the council’s internal complaints resource on the Intranet. The page includes a copy of the following:
The complaints handling toolkit also includes links to Housing Ombudsman guidance. Ombudsman training sessions are also to be provided to managers following a council wide session held in September 2024. |
| 6.2 | Complaints must be acknowledged, defined and logged at stage 1 of the complaints procedure within five working days of the complaint being received. | Yes | Where a resident feels a concern is not resolved at the initial point of contact, North Northamptonshire Council would not obstruct access to the complaint’s procedure. The Council’s policy is to acknowledge complaints within 5 working days. |
| 6.3 | Landlords must issue a full response to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days of the complaint being acknowledged. | Yes | The council’s corporate complaint’s policy has a 10-working day timescale for responding to stage one complaints which was approved at Executive in July and published in October 2024, however Housing have been working to these timescales since the Code was introduced. |
| 6.4 | Landlords must decide whether an extension to this timescale is needed when considering the complexity of the complaint and then inform the resident of the expected timescale for response. Any extension must be no more than 10 working days without good reason, and the reason(s) must be clearly explained to the resident. | Yes | The Council’s Corporate Complaints Policy sets out that if a complaint is complex, or we need more information, it may take longer – however we will let residents know when this is required, and when they will hear from us. |
| 6.5 | When an organisation informs a resident about an extension to these timescales, they must be provided with the contact details of the Ombudsman. | Yes | Extensions to timescales are usually made via telephone or email with the resident. |
| 6.6 | A complaint response must be provided to the resident when the answer to the complaint is known, not when the outstanding actions required to address the issue are completed. Outstanding actions must still be tracked and actioned promptly with appropriate updates provided to the resident. | Yes | Any outstanding actions following the complaint response will be included in the learning plan along with dates when the outstanding actions will be completed. The Housing service is responsible for maintaining its learning and improvement outcomes; this will be subject to reporting and corporate scrutiny. |
| 6.7 | Landlords must address all points raised in the complaint definition and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate. | Yes | The Council’s complaint responses will set out what happened, why and what we are doing about it. It will give the remedies available to the resident and include the lessons that we have learnt where we have got things wrong, so that we don’t make the same mistakes in future. |
| 6.8 | Where residents raise additional complaints during the investigation, these must be incorporated into the stage 1 response if they are related and the stage 1 response has not been issued. Where the stage 1 response has been issued, the new issues are unrelated to the issues already being investigated or it would unreasonably delay the response, the new issues must be logged as a new complaint. | Yes | The Council complies with this. |
| 6.9 | Landlords must confirm the following in writing to the resident at the completion of stage 1 in clear, plain language:
| Yes | In section 4 of the Council’s Corporate Complaints Policy it sets out: Our response to you will set out the issues investigated, the background to the case, the evidence used in assessing the case, the reasons for the findings or decisions made. If we identify we did something wrong, we will explain what went wrong and why and take appropriate steps to remedy the service failure in line with appropriate policy. The council has letter templates for each stage to ensure all relevant information is included in the responses. |
Stage 2
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6.10 | If all or part of the complaint is not resolved to the resident’s satisfaction at stage 1, it must be progressed to stage 2 of the landlord’s procedure. Stage 2 is the landlord’s final response. | Yes | The Council’s Corporate Complaints section on the website clearly explains the two-stage process. Once the resident has received the result of the investigation, they may feel that we have not sorted things out in the way they expected, or they may disagree with our findings and are advised they can now make a stage 2 complaint. |
| 6.11 | Requests for stage 2 must be acknowledged, defined and logged at stage 2 of the complaints procedure within five working days of the escalation request being received. | Yes | All stage two complaints are logged, and an acknowledgement sent within 5 working days. |
| 6.12 | Residents must not be required to explain their reasons for requesting a stage 2 consideration. Landlords are expected to make reasonable efforts to understand why a resident remains unhappy as part of its stage 2 response. | Yes | The Council complies with this. |
| 6.13 | The person considering the complaint at stage 2 must not be the same person that considered the complaint at stage 1. | Yes | Stage two complaints will not be investigated by the same officer as the stage one complaint. |
| 6.14 | Landlords must issue a final response to the stage 2 within 20 working days of the complaint being acknowledged. | Yes | The Council’s timescales for responding to stage two complaints is 20 working days. |
| 6.15 | Landlords must decide whether an extension to this timescale is needed when considering the complexity of the complaint and then inform the resident of the expected timescale for response. Any extension must be no more than 20 working days without good reason, and the reason(s) must be clearly explained to the resident. | Yes | The Council’s Corporate Complaints Policy in section 4 sets out that if a complaint is complex, or we need more information, it may take longer – however we will let residents know when this is required, and when they will hear from us. Example - 4.9.4 If a response cannot be provided within 10 working days you will be contacted with an explanation and updated with a date for resolution. |
| 6.16 | When an organisation informs a resident about an extension to these timescales, they must be provided with the contact details of the Ombudsman. | Yes | Extensions to timescales are usually made via telephone or email with the resident. |
| 6.17 | A complaint response must be provided to the resident when the answer to the complaint is known, not when the outstanding actions required to address the issue are completed. Outstanding actions must still be tracked and actioned promptly with appropriate updates provided to the resident. | Yes | Any outstanding actions following the complaint response will be included in the learning plan along with dates when the outstanding actions will be completed. |
| 6.18 | Landlords must address all points raised in the complaint definition and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate. | Yes | The Council’s complaint responses will set out what happened, why and what we are doing about it. It will give the remedies available to the resident and include the lessons that we have learnt where we have got things wrong, so that we don’t make the same mistakes in future. |
| 6.19 | Landlords must confirm the following in writing to the resident at the completion of stage 2 in clear, plain language:
| Yes | In section 4 of the Council’s Corporate Complaints Policy it sets out: Our response to you will set out the issues investigated, the background to the case, the evidence used in assessing the case, the reasons for the findings or decisions made. If we identify we did something wrong, we will explain what went wrong and why and take appropriate steps to remedy the service failure in line with appropriate policy. The council has letter templates for each stage to ensure all relevant is included in the responses. |
| 6.20 | Stage 2 is the landlord’s final response and must involve all suitable staff members needed to issue such a response. | Yes | Managers are responsible for approving stage two responses which will then be sent to the Corporate Complaints team for recording purposes. |
Section 7 – Putting things right
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.1 | Where something has gone wrong a landlord must acknowledge this and set out the actions it has already taken, or intends to take, to put things right. These can include:
| Yes | The Council’s revised Remedies Policy supports this stage. |
| 7.2 | Any remedy offered must reflect the impact on the resident as a result of any fault identified. | Yes | The Council’s revised Remedies Policy supports this stage. |
| 7.3 | The remedy offer must clearly set out what will happen and by when, in agreement with the resident where appropriate. Any remedy proposed must be followed through to completion. | Yes | The Council’s revised Remedies Policy supports this stage. |
| 7.4 | Landlords must take account of the guidance issued by the Ombudsman when deciding on appropriate remedies. | Yes | The Council’s revised Remedies Policy supports this stage, with links to the Housing Ombudsman’s guidance on remedies also included on the staff Intranet to support staff in complaint remedies and responses. |
Section 8 – Self-assessment, reporting and compliance
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8.1 | Landlords must produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge, which must include:
| Yes | A copy of the Council’s annual complaints performance and service improvement report is available. The annual complaints performance and service improvement report was presented at the Council’s Executive Committee in September 2024 along with the Regulator of Social Housing Tenant Satisfaction Measures. |
| 8.2 | The annual complaints performance and service improvement report must be reported to the landlord’s governing body (or equivalent) and published on the on the section of its website relating to complaints. The governing body’s response to the report must be published alongside this. | Yes | The annual complaints performance and service improvement report was presented at the Council’s Executive Committee in September 2024. Executive Committee Decision: Resolved That the Executive: a) Noted the performance of the new Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) as set out in Appendix A, comparative performance across six other housing providers provided in Appendix B and the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report provided in Appendix C. |
| 8.3 | Landlords must also carry out a self-assessment following a significant restructure, merger or change in procedures. | Yes | This self-assessment has been reviewed following the 2024 changes to the Code and will be reviewed following any significant restructure or change in procedures. The new Customer comments, Compliments and Complaints Policy was approved by the Council’s Executive Committee in July 2024 and published online in October 2024. This self-assessment form has been updated based on the new policy. |
| 8.4 | Landlords may be asked to review and update the self-assessment following an Ombudsman investigation. | Yes | The Council will comply with this if requested to do so. |
| 8.5 | If a landlord is unable to comply with the Code due to exceptional circumstances, such as a cyber incident, they must inform the Ombudsman, provide information to residents who may be affected, and publish this on their website Landlords must provide a timescale for returning to compliance with the Code. | Yes | The Council will comply with this if required. |
Section 9 – Scrutiny and oversight: continuous learning and improvement
| Code section | Code requirement | Comply: Yes or no | Evidence, commentary and any explanations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.1 | Landlords must look beyond the circumstances of the individual complaint and consider whether service improvements can be made as a result of any learning from the complaint. | Yes | Learning plans are produced along with complaint responses. Each service area is responsible for maintaining its learning and improvement outcomes; this will be subject to reporting and corporate scrutiny. Further work to be undertaken on learning from complaints and analysing the information to provide data insight which can link in with and identify service improvement projects. |
| 9.2 | A positive complaint handling culture is integral to the effectiveness with which landlords resolve disputes. Landlords must use complaints as a source of intelligence to identify issues and introduce positive changes in service delivery. | Yes | The new policy supports this, and a positive Complaint Handling culture is being developed with additional training, guidance and information being rolled out and a new case management system being introduced. A project team has been set up to help enhance our customer experience, automate complaints processes, boost efficiency, and effectively address complaints for organisational learning and improvement. The way complaints are handled within the service area is currently being reviewed, with the forthcoming recruitment of a Complaints Officer as part of the restructure. This will ensure there is more work on learning from complaints and linking in with service improvement. |
| 9.3 | Accountability and transparency are also integral to a positive complaint handling culture. Landlords must report back on wider learning and improvements from complaints to stakeholders, such as residents’ panels, staff and relevant committees. | Yes | The Corporate Performance team report on complaints to Executive on a regular basis. Power BI dashboard is currently being developed to help provide real-time information on housing complaints which can be shared with key stakeholders on a regular basis. The way complaints are handled within the service area is currently being reviewed, with the plan to recruit a dedicated Complaints Officer. This will ensure there is more work on learning from complaints and linking in with service improvement. |
| 9.4 | Landlords must appoint a suitably senior lead person as accountable for their complaint handling. This person must assess any themes or trends to identify potential systemic issues, serious risks, or policies and procedures that require revision. | Yes | Confirmed as Simon Mills, Assistant Director Customer Experience. |
| 9.5 | In addition to this a member of the governing body (or equivalent) must be appointed to have lead responsibility for complaints to support a positive complaint handling culture. This person is referred to as the Member Responsible for Complaints (‘the MRC’). | Yes | Confirmed as Cllr Lloyd Bunday, Executive Member for Finance and Transformation. |
| 9.6 | The MRC will be responsible for ensuring the governing body receives regular information on complaints that provides insight on the landlord’s complaint handling performance. This person must have access to suitable information and staff to perform this role and report on their findings. | Yes | Complaint information is regularly presented as part of the monthly performance report to Executive. |
| 9.7 | As a minimum, the MRC and the governing body (or equivalent) must receive:
| Yes | The Corporate Performance Team provide regular complaints performance to Executive. |
| 9.8 | Landlords must have a standard objective in relation to complaint handling for all relevant employees or third parties that reflects the need to:
| Yes | Improvements have been made to the Council’s internal complaints resource on the Intranet. The page includes a copy of the following:
Training has been rolled out to staff to support the introduction of the new case management with the aim to enhance our customer experience, automate complaints processes, boost efficiency, and effectively address complaints for organisational learning and improvement. |
Tenant Satisfaction Measures
There are 22 different Tenant Satisfaction Measures known as TSMs in total, 10 of which are based on information we record and monitor within our service delivery and 12 are collected through a tenant perception survey which was undertaken at the start of 2024.
The TSMs relate to five key areas which have been introduced to help tenants review the council’s performance as a landlord and to ensure we continuously develop and improve our services.
April 2023 to March 2024
Keeping homes in good repair
- 99% of emergency repairs completed in time
- 82.6% of non-emergency repairs completed in time
- 61.5% of tenants are satisfied with the repairs service
- 54.8% of tenants are satisfied with the time taken to complete their most recent repair
- 20.5% of our homes do not meet the Decent Homes Standard
- 58.5% of tenants are satisfied their home is well maintained
- 60.5% of tenants are satisfied communal areas are clean and well maintained
Maintaining building safety
- 65.1% of tenants are satisfied their homes are safe
- 96.3% of fire safety assessments have been carried out
- 99.8% of gas safety checks have been completed
- 52.7% of asbestos safety checks have been completed
- 45.5% of water safety checks have been completed
- 100% of lift safety checks have been completed
Being respectful and helpful
- 60.6% of tenants are satisfied with the overall service we provide
- 53.5% of tenants are satisfied we keep them informed about things that matter to them
- 44.8% of tenants are satisfied we listen to their views and act upon them
- 59.8% of tenants agree we treat them fairly and with respect
Effective handling of complaints
- 25.8% of tenants are satisfied with our approach to complaints handling
- 36 stage 1 complaints received (per 1000 homes)
- 1.8 stage 2 complaints received (per 1000 homes)
- 21% of stage 1 complaints handled within the Housing Ombudsman’s timescales
- 20% of stage 2 complaints handled within the Housing Ombudsman’s timescales
Responsible neighbourhood management
- 47.3% of tenants are satisfied we make a positive contribution to neighbourhoods
- 23.7 anti-social behaviour cases (per 1000 homes)
- 0 anti-social behaviour cases involved Hate Crime (per 1000 homes)
- 45.5% of tenants are satisfied with our approach to handling anti-social behaviour
We are committed to improving our services to all of our tenants, and will be working with tenants, councillors, and partners to ensure we improve resident satisfaction in these key areas.
Tenant satisfaction survey
Our tenant satisfaction survey took place in 2024.
| A. A summary of achieved sample size (number of responses) | 1,999 |
|---|---|
| B. Timing of survey | 29 January 2024 to 22 March 2024 |
| C. Collection methods | Postal and online via email |
| D. Sample method | One-off census survey |
E. Summary of the assessment of representativeness of the sample against the relevant tenant population (including reference to the characteristics against which representativeness has been assessed):
| Group | Population | % | Responses | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Needs | 6,929 | 88% | 1,655 | 83% |
| Sheltered | 945 | 12% | 344 | 17% |
| Total | 7,874 | - | 1,999 | - |
| Group | Population | % | Responses | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corby | 4,383 | 56% | 1,060 | 53% |
| Kettering | 3,491 | 44% | 939 | 47% |
| Total | 7,874 | - | 1,999 | - |
| Group | Population | % | Responses | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 24 | 84 | 1% | 10 | 1% |
| 25 to 34 | 593 | 8% | 107 | 5% |
| 35 to 44 | 888 | 11% | 155 | 8% |
| 45 to 54 | 736 | 9% | 152 | 8% |
| 55 to 59 | 427 | 5% | 101 | 5% |
| 60 to 64 | 406 | 5% | 109 | 5% |
| 65 to 74 | 638 | 8% | 212 | 11% |
| 75 to 84 | 454 | 6% | 167 | 8% |
| 85 plus | 146 | 2% | 44 | 2% |
| No data | 3,502 | 44% | 942 | 47% |
| Total | 7,874 | - | 1,999 | - |
| Group | Population | % | Responses | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kingswood | 1,416 | 18% | 316 | 16% |
| Lloyds | 1,309 | 17% | 320 | 16% |
| Windmill | 1,149 | 15% | 256 | 13% |
| Corby West | 1,017 | 13% | 240 | 12% |
| Northall | 563 | 7% | 171 | 9% |
| Wicksteed | 525 | 7% | 109 | 5% |
| Burton and Broughton | 404 | 5% | 154 | 8% |
| Rothwell and Mawsley | 349 | 4% | 91 | 5% |
| Oakley | 341 | 4% | 85 | 4% |
| Desborough | 315 | 4% | 98 | 5% |
| Corby Rural | 300 | 4% | 99 | 5% |
| Clover Hill | 110 | 1% | 24 | 1% |
| Ise | 76 | 1% | 36 | 2% |
| Total | 7,874 | - | 1,999 | - |
| F. Any weighting applied to generate the reported perception measures (including a reference to all characteristics used to weight results) | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| G. The role of any named external contractor(s) in collecting, generating, or validating the reported perception measures | Acuity Research & Practice Ltd Collecting, generating, validating reported perception measures |
| H. The number of tenant households within the relevant population that have not been included in the sample frame due to the exceptional circumstances described in paragraph below with a broad rationale for their removal | Not applicable |
| I. Reasons for any failure to meet the required sample size requirements (summarised in table below) | Not applicable |
| J. Type and amount of any incentives offered to tenants to encourage survey completion | 3 x £50 shopping vouchers |
| K. Any other methodological issues likely to have a material impact on the tenant perception measures reported. | Not applicable |
| Notes from guidance in tenant survey requirements |
|---|
| 36. The summary of approach must be proportionate to the complexity of the sampling methods employed and must include sufficient information to enable reasonable assessment of the validity of the published tenant perception measures. For example, the level of detail required from a relatively large provider applying stratified sampling and weighting of responses is significantly greater than that required from a small provider employing a simple census approach. Alongside this summary, all providers must publish the questionnaire(s) used to generate survey responses. This must include any additional questions and introductory or explanatory wording communicated to tenants alongside the TSM questions. |
| 37. As part of the summary of the assessment of representativeness, all providers that own 1,000 or more dwelling units of relevant social housing stock must set out the following: proportion of the relevant (a) tenant population and (b) total survey responses that share the principal characteristics for which representativeness has been assessed (see illustration in Table 4). For these providers, a rationale for the choice of characteristics included must be set out with reference to tenant and stock profile. Where weighting has been used to ensure that the sample is as far as possible representative, (b) must reflect the weighted total survey responses used to generate reported TSMs. |
| 38. The summary of approach must state if the provider has undertaken any tenant perception surveys which include TSM questions but has not included these responses in the calculation of the TSMs. A rationale for why this information has been excluded must be provided. The provider must include a summary of responses by survey collection method and the rationale for the survey collection method(s) chosen. Where there are any material year-on-year changes in survey methodology, for example in survey collection method(s), a summary of these changes must be included with the reason for any such changes. Further, any analysis of year-on-year changes in tenant perception measure performance published by the provider must refer to any material changes in survey methodology that are likely to have significantly affected satisfaction scores. |
| Relating to point H - Providers must take reasonable steps to assess, identify and remove barriers to certain groups of tenants participating in surveys used to generate the TSMs. In particular, this is in respect to tenants who share one or more protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, and in respect of duties of that Act. Barriers may include, but are not limited to, language barriers, visual impairment, literacy or lack of access to digital media.30 Where necessary to overcome barriers to participation, it is permissible for surveys to be completed by a carer, another household member on behalf of a tenant or through an interpreter. |
Table 5: Required minimum levels of statistical accuracy for overall satisfaction:
| Population | Required minimum statistical accuracy (margin of error at 95% confidence level) |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 2,500 dwelling units | + or - 5% (where it is not possible to achieve this level of statistical accuracy (for example for many providers with fewer than 1,000 dwelling units of relevant social housing stock), employing a census approach is sufficient to meet this requirement) |
| 2,500 – 9,999 dwelling units | + or - 4% |
| 10,000 – 24,999 dwelling units | + or - 3% |
| 25,000 dwelling units or more | + or - 2% |
Tenant Satisfaction Survey
Your chance to have your say!
Your views are important to North Northamptonshire Council and this survey will help them to understand what you think about your home and the services they provide. The survey will be used to calculate the annual Tenant Satisfaction Measures (TSMs) to be published by North Northamptonshire Council and reported back to tenants as required by the Regulator of Social Housing. It should take around 10 minutes to complete the survey. If you would prefer to complete the survey online, please go to: XXX and input your unique code which is XXX.
Your Home and Overall Services
1. Taking everything into account, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the service provided by North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
2. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services provides a home that is well maintained?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
3. Thinking about the condition of the property or building you live in, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services provides a home that is safe?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable / don’t know
Communal Areas
4. Do you live in a building with communal areas, either inside or outside, that North Northamptonshire Council is responsible for maintaining?
Yes (Go to 5)
No (Go to 6)
Don’t know (Go to 6)
5. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council keeps these communal areas clean and well maintained?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Repairs and Maintenance
6. Has North Northamptonshire Council carried out a repair to your home in the last 12 months?
Yes (Go to 7)
No (Go to 9)
7. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the overall repairs service from North Northamptonshire Council over the last 12 months?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
8. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the time taken to complete your most recent repair after you reported it?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
9. Generally, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the way North Northamptonshire Council deals with repairs and maintenance?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
10. If you are not satisfied with the repairs and maintenance service, please provide more information and what North Northamptonshire Council could improve.
Customer Service, Communications and Information
11. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services listens to your views and acts upon them?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable / don’t know
12. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services keeps you informed about things that matter to you?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable / don’t know
13. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following ‘North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services treats me fairly and with respect’?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable / don’t know
14. Have you tried to contact North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services in the last 12 months?
Yes (Go to 15)
No (Go to 17)
15. How did you contact them? Tick all that apply.
Email
Text / SMS
Telephone
In writing
Online / website
In person
16. How easy or difficult was it to contact them?
Very easy
Easy
Neither easy nor difficult
Difficult
Very difficult
Not sure / Don’t know
17. Do you have access to the internet to be able to use their online services?
Yes
No
18. How would you prefer North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services to contact you?
Online / email
Text / SMS
In writing
19. Are you aware that North Northamptonshire Council provides opportunities for tenants to get involved in shaping housing services and are you interested in getting involved? If you are interested, we will pass on your name and address to North Northamptonshire Council who will contact you with more details.
Yes, I am aware and yes, I would be interested
Yes, I am aware and no, I am not interested
No, I am not aware and yes, I would be interested
No, I am not aware and no, I would not be interested
I am already an involved tenant
Your Neighbourhood
20. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you that North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services makes a positive contribution to your neighbourhood?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Not applicable / don’t know
21. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services’ approach to handling anti-social behaviour?
22. To what extent are any of the following a problem in your neighbourhood?
Major problem / Minor problem / Not a problem / Don’t know:
- Car parking
- Rubbish or litter
- Fly-tipping
- Noisy neighbours
- Dog fouling / mess
- Other problems with pets / animals
- Disruptive children / teenagers
- Racial or other harassment
- Drunk or rowdy behaviour
- Vandalism or graffiti
- People damaging your property
- Untidy gardens
Making a Complaint
23. Have you made a complaint to North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services in the last 12 months?
Yes (Go to 24)
No (Go to 25)
24. How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services’ approach to complaints handling?
Very satisfied
Fairly satisfied
Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied
Fairly dissatisfied
Very dissatisfied
Your Well-being
25. Does your home currently suffer from any damp or mould issues? (If you tick ‘Yes’, we will pass on your name and address to NNC for damp and mould purposes only)
Yes (Go to 26)
No (Go to 27)
26. And if yes, have you reported it to North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services?
Yes
No
Profiling
27. North Northamptonshire Council would like to use this opportunity to understand more about its tenants. Could you please state to which of these ethnic groups you feel you belong? (Any information given will be used to gain an understanding of the tenants responding to this survey)
White - English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British
White - Irish
White - Gypsy or Irish Traveller
White - Roma
Any other White background
Mixed - White and Black Caribbean
Mixed - White and Black African
Mixed - White and Asian
Any other mixed / multiple ethnic background
Asian / Asian British - Indian
Asian / Asian British - Pakistani
Asian / Asian British - Bangladeshi
Asian / Asian British - Chinese
Any other Asian background
Black / Black British - Caribbean
Black / Black British - African
Any other Black / African / Caribbean background
Arab Other (please specify below)
28. Is English your household’s first language?
Yes
No
Prefer not to say
29. Do you or a member of your household have a disability according to the terms given in the Disability Act 1995? That is, a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term effect on the person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
Yes (Go to 30)
No (Go to 31)
Prefer not to say (Go to 31)
30. If you have answered yes, please indicate the type of impairment which applies to you. Please tick all that apply.
Physical / mobility impairment
Learning disability / difficulty
Visual impairment
Long-standing illness or health condition
Hearing impairment
Mental health condition
Other (please specify below)
Prefer not to say
Permissions and Confidentiality
31. If you were contacted again in the future and asked to take part in another survey what is your preferred method for taking part?
Telephone call
Postal questionnaire
Email with link to online survey
Text with link to online survey
Not sure
32. North Northamptonshire Council would welcome the opportunity to see your individual answers and comments. Are you happy for your individual responses to be passed back to the Council?
Yes (Go to 33)
No (End)
33. Are you happy for North Northamptonshire Council’s Housing Services to contact you regarding any information you have provided in this survey?
Yes
No
Last updated 03 December 2024