Cheltenham Borough Council has paid out thousands of pounds in compensation to social housing tenants following a significant number of complaints upheld over recent months.
Between April and June this year, tenants submitted 86 complaints regarding housing services. Of these, 45 were fully upheld, 21 were partly upheld, and 20 were dismissed. During the same period, the council received 12 compliments praising its housing services.
In total, 14 compensation payments were issued to residents, amounting to £5,801.54. Many payments related to issues stemming from the council’s kitchen installation programme, according to a report presented at the cabinet housing committee meeting on 29 July.
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The report highlighted that service delays were the most frequent cause for complaint, accounting for 33 cases. Poor communication was the second most common issue with 23 complaints, often concerning a lack of updates, difficulties reaching services, or unclear and untimely information.
Contractor-related problems and concerns about the quality of work each represented 11 complaints. Staff-related issues accounted for five cases, generally linked to customer experience and service delivery, while disrepair was the least common complaint category.
Ian Mason, a tenant representative, drew attention to disparities in information availability between in-house repairs and those carried out by contractors. He noted the council holds detailed records for in-house work-such as who attended, when, what tasks were performed, and materials used-but has minimal information regarding contractor activities.
“The team managing these repairs are effectively working blindfolded when it comes to contractors,” Mason stated, stressing the challenge this poses for effective communication with tenants.
He also suggested that contractor-related complaints could be significantly higher if all issues were reported, particularly around incomplete or unattended jobs at estates like Monkscroft. Mason recommended that the committee examine this matter further in future meetings to help reduce complaint numbers by improving information flow.
Matt Ward, head of housing services, acknowledged the difficulties in managing contractors amid a large-scale programme of kitchen and bathroom upgrades across the borough. He noted that regular meetings are held to address complaints promptly but admitted this remains a challenging area.
Councillor Julian Tooke emphasised two core issues: the quality of the contractors’ work and the expectations around documenting their activities. He questioned whether contractors are required to provide as detailed records as in-house teams and if this could be implemented.
The meeting also heard encouraging news that the council has improved its complaint handling times. The average investigation duration for closed complaints was 10.4 working days, the lowest recorded to date and approaching the Housing Ombudsman’s target of 10 days.
These developments reflect ongoing efforts by Cheltenham Borough Council to enhance tenant satisfaction and service delivery within its social housing stock.