Present:-

Councillors Channon (Chairman), Chugg, Colthorpe, Gribble and Hill

Alderman Sir Simon Day, Mr Hodgins, Mrs Mayes, Mrs Saltmarsh and Mr Sullivan

Apologies:-

Councillor Moulding

*25 Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2015 be signed as a correct record.

*26 Corporate Feedback Monitoring Report

The Committee considered the Report of the Head of Business Strategy and Support Services (BSS/15/9 - text only | pdf BSS/15/9) summarising and commenting upon compliments, representations and complaints received and processed by the Council in the first quarter of 2015/16.

Members noted that 86% of Stage I complaints across the Council had received a response within the required timescales which was an improvement over both the preceding quarter and the corresponding period in the previous year, despite there having been an overall increase in the number complaints being received. Similarly, there had been a marked decrease in the number of complaints upheld at Stages I and II of the process as compared to the previous quarter.

The Head of Service undertook to ensure that future reports contained a glossary of terms/acronyms and that, similarly, any classification of services or categories should also, where necessary, clearly show the geographical areas to which those categories/services applied, for ease of understanding.

It was MOVED by Councillor Channon, SECONDED by Councillor Gribble, and

RESOLVED that the Report be noted.

*27 Local Government Ombudsman: Annual Report for 2013/14 and Ombudsman s Annual Review Letter

The Committee considered the Report of the Ombudsman Link Officer and Head of Business Strategy and Support Services (BSS/15/10 - text only | pdf BSS/15/10) on the outcome of complaints lodged with the Ombudsman and/or determined during 2014/15 and on the Ombudsman s Annual Review for 2015.

Members acknowledged that while there had been an increase in the number of complaints registered with the Ombudsman this was, it was felt, a direct consequence of the changes made by the Council to its customer feedback policy and the separate national awareness campaign by the Ombudsman. The Head of Service advised that of the 121 decisions made during 2014/15 by the Ombudsman only 21 had been adjudged - under the revised definitions for the determination of complaint outcomes (Minute 8/30 June 2104 refers) - to have been upheld or a determination of injustice or fault made; including those cases where the Council had agreed to take corrective action during the investigation or had itself remedied the situation before the complaint had been made to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman s Annual Review also outlined her intention in future to focus on complaint outcomes at local level rather than simply the numbers of complaints received, as a means of establishing a clearer and more comprehensive assessment of a Council s performance. The Ombudsman herself recognised that the number of complaints registered with her Office might not match those held by an individual Council where, for instance, the former would include complainants who had been referred back to the latter but who may subsequently not have the chosen to pursue the matter.

Comparing the County Council with its CIPFA comparators, and while Devon had the third highest number of complaints investigated the number of complaints per head of population and complaints upheld were within normal parameters and Members were assured that there was no cause for concern.

It was MOVED by Councillor Channon, SECONDED by Councillor Gribble, and

RESOLVED that the Report and the Ombudsman s Annual Review Letter be noted and the Member Development Group be asked to examine the practicality/desirability of Members being to encouraged participate in the Ombudsman s Councillors Forum.

*28 Ethical Governance: Monitoring

The Committee received the report of the County Solicitor (CS/15/24 - text only | pdf CS/15/24) summarising the feedback from Co-opted Members of this Committee on their attendance at meetings of the Council, Cabinet and Committees since the previous meeting, to monitor compliance by Members and Officers with the Council s ethical governance framework.

The Committee were pleased to note that there had been no areas of significant concern or any indication of actions or behaviours that might be felt to have resulted in a potential breach of the Code.

*29 Local Determination of Complaints: Case Handling Information

The County Solicitor reported that, since the last meeting, one complaint concerning an alleged breach of the Members Code of Conduct had been received relating to a councillor being able to represent the interests of constituents and a lack of response to previous correspondence to Members on the same issue.

Following the required initial assessment of the complaint, it had been determined that no further action should be taken on the complaint on the basis that the allegations would not constitute a breach of the Code of Conduct and, accordingly, could not therefore be investigated.

*30 Alderman K J Turner

The Chairman referred to the recent death of Alderman Ken Turner, a former Chairman of the County Council and a Member of this Committee, following a period of poor health.

*DENOTES DELEGATED MATTER WITH POWER TO ACT

The meeting started at 2.15pm and finished at 3.02pm.

The Minutes of this Committee are published on the County Council s Website at:-