Review into complaints handling

Councils handing out shopping vouchers if they miss appointments is one of the ideas being explored by a new government review.

The review team will include customer service experts and a senior Tesco executive to look at the way into the way local authorities deal with complaints.
David North, the supermarket chain's government and community director, has been appointed to a new review team that will investigate ways of compensating local people when council services fall short.
As well as vouchers, the review will look at moves to allow people to track complaints online.
The Department for Communities and Local Government said the Redress Review was part of wider efforts to ensure local people had more influence over how services were delivered.
 "Where things go wrong, people should be able to expect swift and fair redress," said communities secretary Hazel Blears.
The review team will be chaired by David Cook, chief executive of Kettering BC.
The group, which also includes representatives from the National Consumer Council and Institute of Customer Services and Local Government Ombudsman Tony Redmond, will produce a final report early next year.