The Overview and Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to consider the council's performance in handling complaints during the 2025/26 financial year. The meeting will also review the progress of the Corporate Enquiries Transformation Project and discuss the work programmes for the upcoming municipal year.

Draft Annual Complaints Reports 2025/26

A significant portion of the meeting is expected to be dedicated to reviewing the Draft Annual Complaints Reports for 2025/26. This report details the council's performance in handling corporate complaints, statutory complaints related to Adult Social Care and Children's Social Care, and various casework enquiries. It will also outline complaints and decisions made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) during the same period. The report highlights that the council's target response time for complaints and enquiries, set at 90%, was not met in 2025/26. It also provides an update on the Corporate Enquiries Transformation Project, which aims to improve how the council manages a range of corporate enquiries, including complaints, Member Enquiries, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests, and Subject Access Requests (SARs). The report indicates that the council works to four separate complaints processes, three of which are statutory.

The report details the reasons for complaints, noting that request for service was overwhelmingly recorded as the primary reason, which the report suggests may inflate complaint volumes and obscure the actual issues. It also outlines the performance of various directorates, including Adult Social Care and Health, Chief Executives, Children and Young People, Corporate Resources, Housing, and Place, in handling complaints. The report includes data on the number of stage one and stage two complaints, response times, and complaint outcomes, such as upheld, not upheld, and partially upheld.

Furthermore, the report discusses the council's engagement with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). It notes a national rise in complaints received by the LGSCO and highlights that the council has received a second annual letter from the Ombudsman due to concerns about the quality of information provided, poor local complaint handling, and timely compliance with recommendations. The report details the number of LGSCO cases received and decided, categorised by service area, and lists specific upheld LGSCO decisions with details of the remedies provided. The report concludes with recommendations for learning and service improvements, including the need for comprehensive staff training, clearer definitions of complaint outcomes, improved communication, and potentially centralising some complaint functions.

Select Committee Work Programmes 2026-27

The committee is also scheduled to review the draft work programmes for the Select Committees for the 2026/27 municipal year. This will involve collectively reviewing proposed programmes, identifying any overlaps or omissions, and considering opportunities for joint working to establish a coordinated scrutiny programme. Specific work programmes are expected to be presented by the Chairs or Vice-Chairs of various Select Committees, including:

• Healthier Communities Select Committee, focusing on health inequalities, adult social care, community mental health services, and the performance of local health partners.
• Safer and Stronger Communities Select Committee, covering equalities, community safety, licensing, community assets, accessibility, culture, and the work of the Disabled People's Commission.
• Children and Young People Select Committee, concentrating on the implementation of SEND reforms, educational attainment, exclusions, support for vulnerable children, and children's placements.
• Sustainable Development Select Committee, addressing climate and ecological emergencies, the council's climate action programme, renewable energy, housing decarbonisation, and biodiversity.
• Public Accounts Select Committee, combining financial scrutiny with policy initiatives affecting the council's long-term financial resilience.
• Housing Select Committee, examining the implementation of Renters' Rights legislation, compliance with Awaab's Law, landlord performance, and homelessness.

The discussion is expected to identify cross-cutting themes and opportunities for joint working, with a recognition that work programmes will need to remain flexible to respond to emerging issues.

Declarations of Interest

Members of the committee will be asked to declare any personal interests they may have in any item on the agenda. The report outlines the different types of personal interests, including disclosable pecuniary interests, other registerable interests, and non-registerable interests, and details the implications of declaring such interests on a member's participation in discussions and decision-making.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee is also scheduled to confirm the minutes of its previous meeting. This typically involves agreeing that the minutes accurately reflect the discussions and decisions made at that earlier meeting.