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Talkback comments and complaints scheme

Key points from annual report for 1 April 2006 – 31 March 2007

Talkback is Stirling Council’s comments and complaints scheme – the Council needs to know how it is doing so it can improve services.

There are 3 stages in the scheme:  

First Approach; Review  - if the person is not happy with the original response, the Service review that response;  Appeal – if the person is still not happy, the case is examined by the Corporate Complaints Officer.  Details of the scheme and contacts are in the public leaflet available at all offices, and on our Council’s website

During the year 1 April 2006 to 31 March 2007:

  • 90 stage 2 investigations were completed.
  • 29 stage 3 investigations were completed.
  • 162 compliments were received via the scheme.
  • 29 user survey forms were issued, with 7 forms being returned.

Stage 2 and stage 3 investigations highlighted 6 issues resulting in changes to improve the quality of service:

  • Where there is a dispute about whether paperwork has or has not been completed for a commercial bin uplift, the customer’s requested level of service will be fulfilled until the matter has been checked – previously the service was withdrawn pending resolution.
  • Housing staff have been reminded how overcrowding points are calculated
  • Advice has been issued to HR sections on the rate to be used when reimbursing travel costs to applicants called for interview.
  • To avoid the possibility of confusion for members of the public looking at a planning file, a plan which has been stamped with any form of ‘approved’ stamp for a different application is no longer accepted as a plan for a new planning application.
  • Arrangements for dealing with complaints arising from alleged conduct on school transport have been improved.  
  • Gas engineers have been advised that where a new thermostat is needed for a boiler and the new thermostat has to be ordered, the tenant must be told what will happen if the thermostat fails before the new thermostat is fitted – this will avoid unnecessary concern about safety if the thermostat fails and the heating system becomes noisy.

View the full Annual Report