Complaint handling delays at civic centre slammed as 'unacceptable'

Chief exec promises “complete overhaul” after latest ombudsman rebuke for Haringey Council, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Haringey Civic Centre and (inset) council chief executive Andy Donald

Haringey Council has been rapped by a local government watchdog over its complaint handling following a string of failings.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman slammed the council over “unacceptable” delays in apologising and making payments to residents it had been told to compensate for problems it had caused.

Haringey Council chief executive Andy Donald admitted the authority is “falling short of the level of service that residents expect” and pledged a “complete overhaul of complaints handling”.

Figures published by the ombudsman this week show it upheld 31 complaints against Haringey Council in 2022/23 – the sixth-highest number in London.

In its annual review letter to the civic centre, the ombudsman said the council’s complaint handling remained “below the standards we expect”.

The ombudsman said that in one case the council had to pay additional compensation after paying the initial sum into an “incorrect, closed bank account” because it failed to update its records.

This led to the watchdog reporting the council’s failure to comply with some of its recommendations for the fourth year in a row, and it called for “robust mechanisms” to be put in place “to fully evidence compliance”.

It also criticised the council for late compliance, adding: “It is very disappointing that in a third of cases, the necessary evidence has not been provided within the agreed timescales. This is unacceptable.”

The ombudsman said it had seen examples of residents “having to wait for unnecessarily long periods” for apologies and payments it had told the council to make, which should have been “straightforward to administer”.

It also criticised “delayed and incomplete enquiry responses”, pointing out that in some cases the council took double the permitted amount of time to respond. At one point, the ombudsman had to take the “unusual step” of threatening to issue a witness summons to obtain the information it needed.

The letter adds: “In summary, your council’s complaint handling remains below the standards we expect, resulting in poor outcomes for those that make complaints to you. I ask that you contact my office to arrange a meeting with my officers to discuss what steps the council can take to improve and any support we can offer you to do so.”

Haringey Council chief executive Andy Donald said: “We fully recognise that we are currently falling short of the level of service that residents expect and deserve in the areas highlighted in this report.

“That’s why we have already introduced a far-reaching improvement plan which is starting to make an impact but is not yet reflected in the unsatisfactory performance covered by this report.

“Key amongst the changes is a complete overhaul of complaints handling so that we can resolve issues more quickly. At the same time, we are strengthening oversight, upskilling staff and upgrading our systems.

“If mistakes are made, then we must acknowledge, learn from them, and take the right course of action. We will continue working hard to get this right.”

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