Oxford City Council has published its annual Housing Complaint Performance & Service Improvement report.
The report was discussed at Cabinet this week. It covers all complaints about our function as a landlord to over 8,000 households, and any that would come under the jurisdiction of the Housing Ombudsman, handled from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 by the Council or ODS.
It does not include complaints about other Council services which would come under the scope of the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman.
Key findings
Stage 1 complaints for 2024/25 were down 26.7% but there were more Stage 2 and more Housing Ombudsman determinations. The majority of all complaints were responded to within timescales.
Detailed findings from the report are:
- The total number of Stage 1 complaints handled in 2024/25 (414), is lower than the previous year (565)
- The total number of Stage 2 complaints during 2024/25 was higher (51) than the previous year (30)
- ODS handled 188 (down from 431 in 23/24) and the Council handled 226 (up from 134) Stage 1 complaints
- ODS handled 13 (up from 11 in 23/24) and the Council handled 38 (up from 19 in 23/24) Stage 2 complaints
- For ODS, of the complaints responded to within 2024/25 at Stage 1 and 2, 100% were responded to within target
- For complaints handled by the Council within that period, 48.6% of Stage 1and 83.8% at Stage 2 were responded to within target. This was due to vacancies within the Customer Care & Complaints team, staff absence in the team and in other service areas, and the increased volume of enquiries
- Seven Housing Ombudsman determinations were received. Within those, there were six findings of service failure, three of maladministration, one of no maladministration, and two of reasonable redress.
Learnings and next steps
The Council aims to improve its complaints process in 2025/26 with a focus on resident involvement, transparency, and service improvement.
As part of a wider review of its Tenant Involvement Strategy, it will explore new ways to involve residents in shaping and monitoring the complaints process — including the formation of a quarterly resident panel to review data, spot trends, and ensure accountability.
The Council will also improve how it captures and uses complaints data, with upgraded IT systems.
IT improvements made in 2024/25 have already had an impact, particularly within ODS, where clearer processes, improved communication, and better identification of service requests have led to a reduction in complaints.
In 2025/26, a more stable staff team will support a new work programme focused on embedding learning and tackling root causes of issues raised through complaints.
Comment
“We know that when things go wrong, it can be frustrating and complaints are one of the most important ways we can learn, improve, and rebuild trust with our tenants.
“I’m pleased to see that fewer residents needed to complain overall, and that changes already made - especially at ODS - are having a real impact.
“But we also recognise there’s more to do. We’re committed to improving response times, involving tenants more directly in shaping services, and making sure we act on what complaints are telling us. Every complaint is a chance to get better, and we’re determined to make that happen.”
Councillor Linda Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities
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