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Quarterly customer service complaint outcomes - October 2024 to December 2024

Introduction

SEPA’s Complaints Handling Procedure is in accordance with the requirements of the Model Complaints Handling Procedure published by the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) and requires us to publish quarterly a report on complaints outcomes and actions taken to improve services.

This report covers the period October 2024 to December 2024 inclusive.

Stage 1 complaints

A total of five Stage 1 complaints were handled in the reporting period - all were found not upheld.

Stage 2 complaints

Four Stage 2 complaints were handled within the reporting period – two were found not upheld and two were partially upheld.

One complaint which was partially upheld concerned a customer’s dissatisfaction with being charged for the issue of a septic tank Registration document, where an existing authorisation from a predecessor body (namely a COPA consent from a River Purification Board) was found to exist. An apology was issued and steps taken to address the matters upheld. 

The second complaint which was partially upheld concerned a complaint which had been raised about the SEPA Flood Maps but which had not been logged as a complaint when it was initially submitted. Whilst the complaint about the Flood Maps themselves was not upheld, the complaint that SEPA had failed to log this as a complaint in accordance with the Complaints Handling Procedure was upheld. An apology was issued and appropriate steps taken to ensure that any future such complaints will be captured and handled in accordance with the CHP.