Role of statutory officers in individual complaints

Members of the public will often write directly to the Chief Executive, and sometimes the Monitoring Officer, about their complaint.

Statutory officers are not expected to hear individual complaints or have any involvement in how the council responds to individual complaints. Responding to complaints at this level may create unrealistic expectations for the public and this has the potential to undermine staff confidence in carrying out their role.

However, it is important that statutory officers consider feedback from local people and officers about their experiences of raising and handling complaints. It is also the case that learning from a single complaint can result in significant changes in practice within an organisation.

Statutory officers may receive feedback in the following ways:

• Contact from individual members of the public
• Contact with locally elected officials (including MPs)
• Reports about customer satisfaction surveys and feedback about complaint handling

Customer satisfaction surveys and feedback

Statutory and other senior officers responsible for complaints should have access to anonymised customer feedback information about complaint handling in the organisation. This could be in the form of responses to surveys or a summary of positive and negative comments received from complainants.

Councils are also encouraged to ask staff for feedback about their experiences of the complaints process. This feedback helps councils understand the impact of complaints on the wellbeing of staff members. Where staff are engaged in the complaints system and feel they are treated fairly, they are more likely to view complaints positively and welcome the insight they bring.

This feedback will allow senior officers to understand how individuals inside and outside the organisation are experiencing local complaints system.