LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to secure alternative education, including provision from his son’s Education, Health and Care plan, after it found out in June 2021 that his son was no longer able to attend school. The Council was at fault for the delay in securing alternative provision for Mr X’s son. The Council agreed to remedy the injustice its actions caused to Mr X and his son.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council failed to communicate the details of a meeting to discuss the needs of her daughter, and about the school placement the Council named on her Education Health and Care plan. This is because further investigation into the meeting arrangements would not lead to a different outcome and the naming of the school placement carries a right of appeal to a tribunal, and it would be reasonable to expect the complainant to use that appeal right.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a school admissions matter. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council. Also, we cannot achieve the outcome the complainant wants.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax and council tax support. This is because it is reasonable for Miss Y to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Summary: We cannot investigate Ms X’s complaint about a report submitted to the court in family court proceedings because it lies outside our jurisdiction. The law prevents us from considering complaints about matters that have been, or are being, considered in court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to cap streetlights opposite the complainant’s home. There is no evidence of fault in the Council’s actions.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a planning application for a development next to Ms X’s home. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not providing alternative education to the complainant’s children. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s accounting for payments for temporary accommodation it provided for the complainant. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise our discretion and investigate.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about licensing variations as any potential fault by the Council has not caused him enough personal injustice to warrant this.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide her with temporary accommodation when she was a victim of domestic abuse in her home. There was no fault in how the Council reached its decision. However, there were administrative errors when the Council managed Mrs X’s case. The Council has agreed it will review its administrative practice with staff.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions concerning the care of a child. The matters complained about are not separable from matters that have been considered in court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not made reasonable adjustments for Mrs X in respect of a penalty charge notice as any Council fault has not caused Mrs X a significant injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council wrongly issued a completion certificate for substandard work to a property she has since bought. This is because we cannot hold the Council responsible for the work and we cannot therefore achieve any worthwhile outcome for Miss X by investigating the matter further.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice. This is because Mr Y has appealed to the Traffic Enforcement Centre so we cannot investigate the complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms B’s complaint about the Council’s decision to grant planning permission for changes to the building where she lives. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

Summary: Mrs C complains that the Council provided her with unsuitable interim accommodation under the homeless duty it owed her. She said her daughter’s room was too small and this affected her mental health. We find fault by the Council because it did not inform Mrs C of her right to appeal to court when it told Mrs C her property was suitable.

Summary: Mrs J complains the Council delayed issuing a final EHC Plan for her grandson and has failed to provide him with a full-time education or with a personal budget for education out of school. We have found fault causing injustice. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mrs J and review its procedures.

Mr B complained that the London Borough of Bromley failed to deal properly with his approaches to them for help when he was threatened with homelessness in 2019. He complained that initially the Council failed to accept a duty when his landlord wrote to him to ask him to leave. He also complained that later, although it did agree to provide some help, the Council still failed to effectively and promptly secure accommodation for him and his family until he complained, which was over a year after he first approached it for help.

Summary: Mrs C complains about how the Council handled her housing benefit. She says she did not receive letters about changes to her housing benefit award which led to her being in arrears, and some of her housing benefit was allocated towards a property she had already vacated. We have discontinued this investigation as the Council has already resolved the matter the Ombudsman is able to investigate.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a social worker’s court report and recommendations to the judge in family court proceedings because it lies outside our jurisdiction. The law prevents us from investigating matters that are being, or have been, considered in court proceedings. We have no discretion to do so.

Summary: I will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with the complainants reports of housing disrepair and how it supported him when he moved to a new property. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council has dealt with the matter.

Summary: Mrs X complained about how the Council carried out a financial assessment for her mother, Mrs Y. There was fault with how the Council and its provider gave Mrs X appropriate information and advice about care charging and in how it treated Mrs Y as a temporary care home resident when she was not. The Council agreed to apologise to Mrs X for the avoidable frustration and uncertainty this caused her and pay a financial remedy. It also agreed to review its procedures.

Summary: I will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with the complainants reports of housing disrepair and how it supported him when he moved to a new property. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council has dealt with the matter.

Summary: Mrs C complains about poor communication from the Council in relation to care provision, failure to complete a carer assessment, inadequate care, delay setting up direct payments and implementing an increase in provision and failure to provide a suitable chair. The Council delayed telling Mrs C about the cost of the service, failed to ensure a handover took place, failed to complete a carer assessment and provided Mrs C with wrong information about the provision of the chair. Those failures did not affect the provision in place. An apology, payment to Mr D and reminder to officers is