Content

11.1

Councillor Fran
Belbin, Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Customer Experience
(including complaints) and the Executive Director of Neighbourhood
Services introduced and presented a report providing a summary of
the Corporate Annual Complaints Performance and the Local
Government & Social Care Ombudsman & Housing Ombudsman
Reports for Sheffield City Council for the 2024-25 reporting
year.
 
The report also
provided an update on apologies following publication of the
Sheffield Street Trees Inquiry Report and identifies key feedback
and areas for further improvement as well as benchmarking against
similar local authorities.
 
It was noted that
additional appendices had been circulated in respect of: Appendix 5
- Update on apologies following publication of the Sheffield Street
Trees Inquiry Report; Appendix 6 - Housing Service's Annual
Complaints Service Improvement Report for the Housing Ombudsman's
self-assessment; and Appendix 7 - Housing Ombudsman self-assessment
July 2025.

11.2

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Strategy and
Resources Policy Committee:-

(a) consider the statistical analysis of the
reports and the breakdowns therein including information on the
performance of  complaints and the
issues raised;
 
(b) approves the revised Complaint Policy which
has been aligned to the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Policy Review
Recommendations issued in June 2025;
 
(c) acknowledges and endorse the recommendations
made by the VWV Sheffield Inquiry report (as detailed in Section
2.7 of this report), noting the Council’s full acceptance of
these recommendations which are now incorporated into the
Council’s 2025-26 Complaint Service Improvement
Plan;
 
(d) agrees that the conclusions and
recommendations set out in paragraph 2.9 of this report should form
the basis of its written response to the Annual Complaints Report
for publication;
 
(e) notes the links to the ‘Customer
Experience Strategy,’ which continues to provide the
fundamental support and direction needed for the continuous
improvement and transformation of the way Sheffield City Council
handles and manages complaints; and
 
(f) notes the update on apologies following
publication of the Sheffield Street Trees Inquiry Report as set out
in Appendix 5

11.3

Reasons for Decision

11.3.1

Strategy &
Resources Policy Committee has lead responsibility for complaints
including monitoring of complaint handling performance on behalf of
the Council.

11.4

Alternatives Considered and
Rejected

11.4.1

None, as above, this Committee has lead responsibility for
complaints including monitoring of complaint handling performance
on behalf of the Council.