Blackpool Coastal Housing (On behalf of the landlord Blackpool Council) Complaint Performance 2023/24
This report covers complaints received by Blackpool Coastal Housing from 1st April 2023 to 31st March 2024.
The annual self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code was submitted on 28th June 2024.
| Complaint volume | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | % Difference |
| Stage 1 | 83 | 211 | Up 154% |
| Stage 2 | 27 | 45 | Up 66% |
| Housing Ombudsman | 2 | 4 | Up 50% |
| TSM Complaints per 1000 properties | 23.34 | 53.48 | |
| TSM Complaints completed within timescale | 88.89% | 96.71% |
There has been a significant increase in the number of complaints received, compared to last year. This is not unique to BCH and follows the same national trend of increased complaint volume.
Alongside this there are ongoing campaigns regarding complaints within social housing, specifically ‘Know your Rights’ and ‘Four Million Homes’. BCH support these campaigns and promote our own complaint process and ensure that customers are aware of the complaint process and can access it.
The influx of complaints has resulted in an additional resource of a full time Involvement and Communications Officer within the Involvement and Communications Team to ensure that complaint handling is managed effectively.
Complaint areas
A complaint may have more than one recorded category.
Complaint reasons/root causes
A complaint may have more than one recorded root cause.
Complaint outcomes
A complaint may have more than one recorded outcome.
Complaints we have refused
There have been no complaints made which BCH have refused to accept.
Service improvements and lessons learnt from complaints
A theme arose around complaints relating to the length of time for a plumbing appointment just prior to Christmas. This was addressed by putting in extra resource from a contractor.
Poor communication remains to be a theme around dissatisfaction. This is both with the customer directly and between different teams who may be working with the same customer on a different matter. The implementation of a new customer dashboard will support with this, along with the Right First Time Training.
Telephony recording has been implemented onto the Repairs Hotline.
Complainant Action plans are now completed with all customers who report an ASB issue and this has become a Service Standard. This supports managing expectations and also outlines communication frequency and method.
We have changed the wording of our ASB Acknowledgement letters to help customers understand the difference between an ASB report, which is a service request and a complaint.
We have amended the wording of our first contact ASB letters we send when we receive an ASB report, so that there is a distinction between a warning letter and an advisory letter.
We have provided additional guidance to Neighbourhood Officers on the expectation of the role and what would be deemed as a breach of tenancy.
There has been a higher volume in complaints relating to the Repairs Hotline and this has been around alleged conduct and misdiagnosed repairs. Ongoing training and guidance is being provided to staff, along with the implementation of call recording.
We have identified an issue with the cleaning of communal areas in 2 storey blocks and will be conducting a consultation exercise with customers around this.
Where there are several or larger scale repairs required to a property, a project management approach has now been adopted so that such cases are co-ordinated and overseen by the Assets Team to improve communication and timescales.
Our ASB and Neighbourhoods staff will be undergoing neurodiversity training.
We have developed and implemented an Authority to Act and Advocacy policy.
Housing Ombudsman findings of non-compliance with the Complaint Handling Code
In 2023/24 there were no complaint handling failure orders made.
There have been 3 cases determined by the Housing Ombudsman within the period. (One case related to a complaint from the previous year).
Case 202121118: Blackpool Council (202121118) - Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)
a) Severe maladministration in the landlord’s complaint handling.
b) Maladministration in the landlord’s response to the resident’s reports that that his sofa, stored in a garage rented from the landlord, was damaged by a leak.
c) Maladministration in the landlord’s handling of the resident’s request for the replacement of a communal washing line during the Covid lockdown.
d) Service failure in the landlord’s response to the resident’s reports of an infestation of squirrels in their loft-space.
e) No maladministration in the landlord’s response to the resident’s concern regarding asbestos in his loft space.
f) No maladministration in the landlord’s response to the resident’s concerns that there was insufficient insulation in the loft;
g) No maladministration in the landlord’s handling of access to the resident’s property for gas servicing.
h) No maladministration in the assistance given to the resident to try to find a ground floor flat to transfer to.
The complaint in question was received by BCH in January 2022 and since then, the complaint policy and process has been updated in line with the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code, both in June 2022 and April 2024.
All orders made on the determination have been complied with and an action plan was devised by the BCH Board and Senior Management Team and outlined below:
An independent review of BCH’s complaint process was also undertaken by the Customer Relations Manager at Blackpool Council. The review resulted in recommendations, all of which have been implemented as outlined below:
Housing Ombudsman findings of non-compliance with the Complaint Handling Code
In 2023/24 there were no complaint handling failure orders made.
There have been 3 cases determined by the Housing Ombudsman within the period. (One case related to a complaint from the previous year):
Case 202213281:
There was service failure in the response to the resident’s repairs reports and concerns about the letting condition of her former property.
The property in question is now used for dispersed emergency accommodation as a result of the complaint and the recommendation to review record keeping for Void properties has been implemented.
Case 202213281 not published
Case 202122535: Blackpool Council (202122535) - Housing Ombudsman (housing-ombudsman.org.uk)
No maladministration in the decision to charge rent while seeking possession of the resident’s property
Housing Ombudsman Annual Report on Performance
We have not yet received the annual performance report for 2023/24 but the 2022/23 report is available in the related links section of this webpage.
Webpage published 28th June 2024