Joint Complaint Handling Code Consultation

A joint consultation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman has been launched in respect of the Complaint Handling Code. The aim of the consultation is to make the code a legal requirement under the Social Housing Regulation Act. Notably, the Housing Ombudsman already enforces a code. Social landlords, including councils, who are already following the Complaint Handling Code, won't see significant changes as the key provisions of the proposed statutory Code remain the same. The aim is for the Code to become statutory from 1 April 2024.

The consultation marks the introduction of a code for all local government functions by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. This represents a departure from the previous two-tier system involving housing management and corporate complaints for councils who are also landlords.

Social landlords have been obligated to comply with the Code for the past three years. However, with the transition to a statutory Code, landlords will be required to prove their adherence to the Code's requirements. This involves submitting their self-assessment to the Housing Ombudsman, who will also gain additional authority under its monitoring duty to oversee and ensure landlords' accountability in handling complaints.

The collaborative Complaint Handling Code is noteworthy as it marks the inaugural instance of two Ombudsman schemes collaborating to create a single, unified Code. This initiative aims to elevate the quality of complaint handling in both housing and local government services.

Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“The new Code will become the single gold standard for complaint handling in the local government sector. It will allow local councils to be confident they are employing best practice, while making it easier for local people to hold councils and social landlords to account. It will also align complaints about housing management, which are already subject to the Code through the Housing Ombudsman, with other local authority services.

“The quality of complaint handling within an organisation and the willingness to learn from complaints is an essential measure of corporate health. The Code puts complaint handling at the heart of corporate governance in councils, requiring regular reporting of performance allowing for effective scrutiny of service delivery.

“While we are committed to introducing a Complaint Handling Code, we very much want the views of the local government sector to steer its implementation. We have written to Chief Executives of all local councils in England inviting them to respond to the consultations and are also providing a route for the public to comment through our website.”

If you wish to collaborate with LLG on a joint response, kindly reach out to us via email at helen@llg.org.uk. The consultation period is scheduled to take place from September 28, 2023, to November 23, 2023. If your local authority intends to submit a response, we would greatly appreciate it if you could share your input with us before the deadline. Your assistance in this matter is highly valued.