Decision

1. 1

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services setting out the Council’s refreshed Annual Customer Voice report which moves beyond complaints and tells a more ambitious story about how Sheffield is listening, learning and acting on what residents tell us. It describes how Customer Voice is becoming a practical driver for better services, stronger accountability and improved trust.

The report presents a new set of Customer Standards for agreement by Strategy and Resources Policy Committee, which will underpin the Council’s customer improvement work.

The report also fulfils our statutory obligations in regard to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Housing Ombudsman and provides visibility and transparency in terms of the Council’s overall Customer performance.

1. 2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and Resources Policy Committee:-

(a) accepts the 2025-26 Annual Customer Voice Report (detailed in Appendix 1) and agrees that the recommended improvement actions as set out in Section 2.2 of the report should form the basis of its written response to the Annual Complaints Report for publication;

(b) agrees the proposed Customer Standards set out at section 2.3 (detailed in Appendix 3);

(c) endorses the 2025-26 Annual Report of Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, and Housing Ombudsman Decisions set out in section 2.4 (detailed in Appendix 2) and notes that the Monitoring Officer will present to Full Council in November 2026 the findings of maladministration;

(d) endorses the items set out in section 2.5:

·       2026 Housing Annual Complaint Service Improvement Report (detailed in Appendix 4a)

·       2026 Housing Complaints Self-Assessment (detailed in Appendix 4b) and

·       2026 Housing Governing Body statement (detailed in Appendix 4c)

1. 3

Reasons for Decision

1. 3.1

Strategy and Resources Policy Committee has lead responsibility for Customer Experience, Customer Voice and complaints including the monitoring of complaint handling performance on behalf of the Council. The recommendations are required to support the continued delivery of improvements to the way in which Sheffield City Council supports it’s customer, to fulfil our statutory obligations in regard to the LGSCO and the Housing Ombudsman, and to provide visibility and transparency in terms of the Council’s overall Customer performance.

1. 4

Alternatives Considered and Rejected

1. 4.1

No other options were considered. This report is required in order to fulfil the Council’s obligations in terms of the LGSCO’s and Housing Ombudsman’s Codes.