Complaints performance
CM17 - Percentage of all (Oxford City Council (OCC) and ODS) Stage 1 complaints due within the reporting month that were responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales
| Complaint handled by | Jan 26 | Feb 26 | Mar 26 | Apr 26 | What better looks like | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 73.2% | 82.4% | 81.0% | 73.3% (off-track) |
High | 100.0% |
|
OCC |
92.0% | 97.1% | 96.9% | 100.0% (on-track) |
High | 100.0% |
| ODS | 43.8% | 52.9% | 30.0% | 0.0% (off-track) |
High | 100.0% |
CM18 - Percentage of all (OCC and ODS) Stage 2 complaints due within the reporting month that were responded to within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales
| Complaint handled by | Jan 26 | Feb 26 | Mar 26 | Apr 26 | What better looks like | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 30.0% | 83.3% | 100.0% | 94.1% (off-track) |
High | 100.0% |
| OCC | 33.3% | 83.3% | 100.0% | 94.1% (off-track) |
High | 100.0% |
| ODS | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | n/a | High | 100.0% |
CM13 - Number of cases determined (decided upon) by the Housing Ombudsman
| Jan 26 | Feb 26 | Mar 26 | Apr 26 | What better looks like | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | n/a | n/a |
Exception report - March 2026
Performance against complaint handling timescales declined significantly in 2025-26, with 56.1% of stage one complaints and 26.5% of stage two complaints responded to within Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code timescales.
This reflects increased complaint volumes and capacity pressures, alongside a legacy backlog of stage two complaints which exceeded required timescales. In January 2026, the Council implemented a targeted recovery plan to address a backlog of 20 overdue stage two complaints and restore compliance with the Complaint Handling Code. The plan included additional capacity, strengthened oversight, clear accountability and proactive communication with affected residents. All backlog cases were resolved within the recovery period by 24 February 2026.
Alongside clearing the backlog, a wider programme of improvement has been established to support sustained compliance and strengthen service quality.
This includes:
- an end-to-end review of the housing complaints handling process
- enhanced performance monitoring
- improved use of complaints data to drive service improvement
- establishment of a resident complaints panel to embed resident involvement in complaints learning and improvement
- review and implementation of housing complaints and compensation policies
- strengthened oversight arrangements of housing repairs and maintenance complaints managed by Oxford Direct Services (ODS)
The Council will continue to monitor performance closely to ensure compliance with the Complaint Handling Code is sustained and to improve the overall resident experience of complaint handling.
Exception report - April 2026
Complaint handling performance at stage one complaints declined to 73.3% in April 2026 from 81.0% in March 2026. Stage one complaints are responded to by both the Council and Oxford Direct Services (ODS). The Council maintained strong performance at 100%, whilst ODS performance fell to 0%, significantly impacting the overall result. Of the eight complaints due for a response by ODS in this period, one complaint had not been logged by the Council and therefore not received by ODS.
All stage two complaints are responded to by the Council and performance remained strong at 94.1% in April 2026, with one complaint responded to two days outside of the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code timescales.
Work is ongoing to strengthen complaint handling processes, particularly within ODS, to improve timeliness and ensure compliance with the Code.
Note: RAG (on-track/off-track) status has been applied from April 2026, in line with targets set for the financial year 2026-27.
