Corporate Complaints Handling - Annual Report 2024/25
Argyll and Bute Council · 4 September 2025
Back to Audit and Scrutiny Committee — 4 September 2025 and its agenda
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Classification: OFFICIAL ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL AUDIT AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE Legal and Regulatory Support 4 September 2025 Corporate Complaints Handling – Annual Report 2024/25 1.0 INTRODUCTION The report provides information on how the Council has dealt with complaints during the period between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, and performed against the statutory indicators which have been agreed between the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) and the Local Authorities Complaint Handlers Network. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1. It is recommended that the Committee consider and note the content of this report. 3.0 DETAIL 3.1. All Council services follow the SPSO’s model Complaint Handling Procedure (CHP). A requirement of this model procedure is that the Council report to the SPSO on a standard set of statutory performance indicators and prepare an annual report for consideration by Members. The report attached at appendix 1 has been prepared in order to satisfy this requirement. 3.2. The scope of this report includes complaints received in relation to Live Argyll, and also includes complaints which relate to the Social Work service within Argyll and Bute HSCP. 3.3. The SPSO introduced a new model complaints handling procedure from 01 April 2021, which all local authorities were required to adopt. This updated procedure incorporates complaints in relation to the Social Work service, which were previously reported separately, and also introduced a new complaint outcome where officers can conclude a complaint as “resolved”. 3.4. A more detailed breakdown of performance by Service is attached at Appendix 2. Details around the common themes of complaints, service areas and further analysis of the root causes of complaints are provided within Appendix 3 to this report. This additional information is provided following a previous request from the Audit and Scrutiny committee. 3.5. The corporate complaints procedure is administered centrally by the Compliance and Regulatory team within Legal and Regulatory Support, and quarterly performance reports are provided to departmental management. Performance reports are published on the Council’s website: Complaints | Argyll and Bute
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Classification: OFFICIAL Council (argyll-bute.gov.uk) although some reports have not been uploaded this year due to the website upgrade. 3.6. The Compliance and Regulatory team produce monthly performance update reports, which are circulated to all Heads of Service and Directors, to draw attention to any areas where complaints performance may be falling. This includes detailed information, including the ward area and reasons for late response. 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1. The Council has dealt with complaints it has received in accordance with the requirements of the complaints handling procedure and has complied with the obligation to prepare an annual report. Once it has been presented to the Audit and Scrutiny Committee, the annual report will be published on the Council’s website. 5.0 IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy None 5.2 Financial None 5.3 Legal Statutory requirement to prepare report 5.4 5.5 HR Customer Service None Responses to the satisfaction questionnaire tend to reflect comments based on the outcome of the complaint as opposed to the complaint’s procedure. 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9 Risk Climate Change Fairer Scotland Duty Equalities – protected characteristics None None None None 5.10 5.11 Consumer Duty Island Communities None None 5.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing The Complaints Handling Procedure incorporates a Child Friendly Complaints process Douglas Hendry Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support Policy Lead - Councillor Mark Irvine 4 August 2025 For further information contact: Iain Jackson, Governance, Risk & Safety Manager, 01546 604188 APPENDICES Appendix 1 – Annual Complaints Report 2024-25
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Classification: OFFICIAL Appendix 2 – Service Breakdown Appendix 3 – Themes of Complaints