More help to use our website
Accessibility is very important to us. We want nobody to be put off using our service because they need extra help for us to communicate with them.
When people register a complaint with us, we always ask whether they need extra support.
Digital inclusivity is an important part of our commitment. Our website already meets digital accessibility laws to ensure as many people as possible can use public service websites.
We have gone above and beyond these laws by partnering with accessibility specialists Recite Me to introduce an assistive technology toolbar to our website.
It allows visitors to customise our website in all manner of ways to suit their needs. This includes options like a screen reader that reads aloud the text, the ability to change the size, font and colour of text and backgrounds, and instant translations into many languages.
These features can help people with a range of visual, cognitive, developmental and motor neurone needs to use our website without having to install third-party software.
Why not try out the toolbar for yourself – just click the ‘Accessibility’ icon at the top of every page. If you prefer, we also have a user guide on our website.
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Complaint Handling Training
To improve complaint handling standards we deliver training to local councils, care providers and other public bodies.
Our effective complaint handling training receives high levels of positive feedback from attendees, and we see improvements in local complaint handling as a result.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic we have delivered our training online through MS Teams but we recently did our first in-person training event in more than three years in Bournemouth. We have also started to offer bespoke training to help organisations with specific issues they have identified, such as poor complaint handling in children’s services complaints.
Our training is open to all public bodies we investigate. This year we have trained Fire & Rescue Authorities and Combined Authorities on how to respond to complaints effectively and provide positive outcomes for people affected by their actions.
For more information about our training visit our website.
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Oflog and us
The Government has recently established the Office for Local Government (known as ‘Oflog’). Its job is to provide information about council performance to help citizens hold their local authority to account, and for councils to compare their performance against others. The Government also wants Oflog to help spot where councils might be at risk of failing, so it can give support when needed.
Oflog does not look at complaints about councils: that is squarely for us. But it may use our data on complaints in the future as part of its local authority data explorer tool. This is further recognition of the important role that good complaint management plays in high performing councils.
Complaint Handling Code Consultation
The consultation on our Complaint Handling Code with the Housing Ombudsman is still open. You can respond through the link on our website until 23 November 2023.
The Code will provide a single standard for complaint handling in local councils in England for complaints not already subject to statutory processes. We believe this will provide more certainty for people on how their complaints should be handled and give local councils a better understanding of what good practice looks like.
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