03/08/10

By Andrew Holt

The Charity Commission has published its annual Customer Service Report, which
shows as a result of more robust complaint handling procedures and general improvements in service delivery, a lower proportion of complaints were upheld.

There was a reduction of 11% in the proportion of complaints upheld compared to 2008-9.

Ninety one formal complaints were raised about the Commission and resolved by individual parts of the organisation through local resolution, with 32 cases being escalated to Customer Service, compared to 31 in the previous year.

Nearly a third of all complaint issues related to perceptions that the Commission had made mistakes or given unclear or incorrect advice.

Twenty seven per cent arose from the Commission’s decision that it did not have a regulatory interest in respect of specific complaints raised about charities.

Rosie Chapman, director of policy and effectiveness at the Charity Commission, said: “Whilst we are pleased with the outcome of both the Independent Complaints Reviewer report and our own review by Customer Service, there is no room for complacency.

"We have been working hard to continually improve the services that we offer to charities, their advisers and members of the public. We know that it is going to be very challenging to maintain these high standards in a reduced funding climate, knowing that it is hard where resources become limited or workloads increase.

"I hope that more online working will help with this, and we will still want to provide a good customer experience to anyone who has contact with us.“

The Commission issued 10 apologies to complainants and offered two consolatory payments as a result of the complaints examined.

The Commission’s Independent Complaint Reviewer reviewed 10 complaints during the year, the same as the previous year, and upheld 10% of the issues raised.

There were no complaint cases taken forward by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Commission received over 2,000 unsolicited compliments about its work, compared to 1,700 last year.

A full copy of the Customer Service report and previous reports are available on the Commission’s website - http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/About_us/About_the_Commission/csreport.aspx

Home     More News


Other stories you may find of interest:

David Cameron: Leadership for a better Britain
David Cameron put the Big Society at the heart of his keynote conference speech yesterday, stating: "My driving mission in politics is to build a Big Society, a stronger society." He said: "It starts with families. I want to make this the most family-friendly government the country has ever seen. More childcare. More health visitors. More relationship support. More help with parenting. And for the 120,000 families that are most troubled - and causing the most trouble - a commitment to turn their lives around by the end of this Parliament."

Budget 2011: Sector verdict is broadly positive
The sector has given its verdict on the budget, and there is much positive comment, but this is tempered by some disappointment and criticism. The Chancellor’s budget speech did herald some significant – and in some cases unexpected – changes to the reliefs available for charities and philanthropists. Key measures announced in the Budget include proposals to simplify Gift Aid, encourage wealthy people to give more to charity...

Sector verdict on the Open Public Services White Paper
The Government's modernisation of public services and promise to give people choice and control over the services they use, and end the ‘get what you’re given’ culture, has been met with sector responses that range from the lukewarm to ice cold. ACEVO warned about facing down vested interests, NCVO complemented the paper on a useful start but also the need for a level playing field, a message reiterated by the Social Enterprise Coalition in more forceful terms, and CAF noted that commissioners at all levels need to be truly empowered to value social impact...