Tower Hamlets Council is taking steps to improve how it handles housing complaints, aiming for a more responsive and tenant-focused approach. As part of this effort, the council is undertaking root cause analysis to address the underlying issues that lead to complaints, particularly those related to repairs, which remain the primary driver of dissatisfaction.
The Housing Management Cabinet Sub-Committee met on Wednesday to discuss a range of issues, including a review of the council's annual complaints performance and self-assessment against the Housing Ombudsman's Complaint Handling Code. During 2024/25, a total of 2,385 complaints were received, consisting of 2,011 Stage 1 complaints and 374 Stage 2 complaints. Overall, this represents a 10% decrease from the previous year, with a 13.7% decrease from 2023/24 at Stage 1. Stage 2 complaints however rose by 16.5% from the previous year. The committee acknowledged that while improvements have been made, particularly in stage two responses, further progress is needed, especially in stage one complaint handling, with a goal to clear the backlog of Stage 1 complaints by the end of May 2025.
David Joyce, Corporate Director of Housing & Regeneration, emphasised the importance of a cultural shift within the council, advocating for complaints to be viewed as opportunities for learning and improvement. He stressed the need for early engagement with complainants to understand their desired resolutions.
We really need a culture where the teams at every level see complaints as an opportunity to learn,
Mr Joyce said. We are picking up the phone at a very early stage and talking to the complainant to find out how do you want this resolved.
Mr. Joyce also highlighted the importance of root cause analysis to address the underlying issues that lead to complaints. The bit the lead member mentioned around root cause analysis is really important the regulator in our first series of meetings that we've had with them as part of our engagement did mention the importance of us doing this root cause analysis because you know governance and sort of cracking the whip to get us to fix the problems will only take us so far if we haven't addressed the underlying issues
he stated.
The report presented to the committee indicated a decrease in complaints compared to the previous year, with the council achieving 100% compliance in responding to the ombudsman's recommendations. However, repairs remain the primary driver for complaints.
To improve Stage 1 complaint performance, additional resources within the repair service have been dedicated. The Customer Relations team is also proactively identifying risks, such as poor record keeping, by ensuring that relevant case notes and repair histories are recorded at the outset.
Darren Reynolds, Interim Head of Regulatory Assurance, highlighted the improvements in complaint handling, particularly in stage two responses, attributing this to dedicated resources in housing management. The underlying trend for Q3-4 for Stage 2 complaint performance following the change to ownership under Housing Management is positive, with performance at 100%.
The committee also discussed the Housing Management Performance and Compliance Report for April 2025, which highlighted areas meeting targets and those needing improvement. Key performance indicators (KPIs) used to assess the effectiveness of the call centre handling improvements include the percentage of calls answered. Mr. Joyce noted improvements in call centre handling and positive feedback from tenants.
The council's efforts to improve housing services are part of a broader initiative, the Your Voice, Our Action: Safe Homes, Great Services Programme.
This programme aims to improve housing management services by centering tenant voice, ensuring council homes are safe, and meeting consumer standards. The success of the programme will be measured by improvements in housing management services, centering tenant voice, ensuring council homes are safe, and meeting consumer standards. The program has 104 deliverables across nine workstreams, and the committee will review progress in September. David Joyce said that this was the improvement plan that would drive the council forward to a C1 outcome, highlighting the importance of root cause analysis, as mentioned by the regulator.
To ensure tenant voices are heard and acted upon in shaping housing services, the council has a Tenant Voice Panel, described as a resident-led forum, to scrutinize complaints performance and recommend improvements. There are also Tenant and Residents' Associations (TRAs) that serve as a platform to influence the management of their neighborhoods and address local issues collectively.
