Hampshire County Council

Policy and Resources Policy Review Committee

29 May 2003

Annual Return of Complaints 2002/03

Report of the Chief Executive

Contact: David Hinxman, Head of Democratic Services, ext. 7339

1. Summary

1.1 This report comprises the annual return of complaints for the Chief
Executive's Department in 2002/03 for report to the Policy and Resources
PRC on 29 May 2003.

2. The Annual Return

2.1 There have been no complaints against individual members of staff or in
respect of services provided by the Legal Practice, the Policy Unit (which
includes the Information Centres), Corporate Communications or Emergency
Planning. There was one complaint concerning the bringing into operation of
a traffic regulation order where, despite the operative date being confirmed to
Democratic Services and action being taken accordingly, locally preparations
were incomplete and residents suffered inconvenience. Democratic Services
ensured a swift, co-ordinated response on behalf of the technical side.

2.2 There were 7 complaints to the Ombudsman concerning decisions reached by
the Independent Education Appeal Panel which is clerked and administered by
Democratic Services. In no case was maladministration found. Briefly the
issue in each case was whether or not the Panel had taken the reasons put
forward by the appellants into account when they made their decision. The
decision letter issued by the Clerk summarises the key points and states that
everything on the appeal form and everything said at the hearing by the
appellants was taken into account. An eighth complaint about the Panel was
dealt with internally by written reply; there has been no further contact.

2.3 A further complaint to the Ombudsman concerned the inadvertent appearance of confidential information on Hantsnet. Procedures have been reviewed and strengthened as a result. The information appeared due to the omission of a technical procedure.

2.4 Internal monitoring shows a high level of satisfaction from the department's internal and agency customers.

RECOMMENDATION:

i) That the report be noted and the action taken endorsed.

ii) That this Policy Review Committee continues to receive an annual report on
compliments and complaints within the Chief Executive's Department.



Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes

1 Published works.

2 Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

TITLE FILE

None

5eR45503(a)