LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Ms X uses a personal budget to pay for her child’s special educational needs provision in school. The Council failed to provide Ms X with a right of review when it decided to end her child’s personal budget. The Council also failed to ensure Ms X was sent a direct payment agreement in advance, setting out how the budget should be used. Ms X’s child did not miss out on any provision because of these faults. However the Council’s actions have caused Ms X frustration and uncertainty. To recognise the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X and take action to improve

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s failure to provide suitable temporary accommodation and promptly respond to her reports of disrepair. We found the Council was at fault because it took too long to carry out a suitability review. There was also fault with the Council’s complaint handling and the actions of the Council’s contractor. The Council already accepted some fault and provided a partial remedy in response to her complaint. To remedy the outstanding injustice caused by the additional areas of fault we identified, the Council agreed to apologise and make a further symbolic paym

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of information related to her adopted children and its previous decision on her earlier complaint. Part of the complaint has already been considered and decided. The remaining matters concern data handling issues which are for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to consider, or have not caused Mrs X a significant enough injustice

Summary: Mr X complained about how he and his children were treated by the Council’s children’s social care service. We have found that the Council was at fault for a significant delay in its handling of his complaint. This caused him an injustice, which the Council has already addressed. But we will not conduct a further investigation of Mr X’s complaint. An independent investigation has already found no fault in most of what the Council did. It is unlikely that further investigation of the same issue would lead to a different outcome for Mr X. However, the Council will now take steps to elim

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled a bulky waste collection. The claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s choice of residential placement for Mr X or its communication with Miss Y about the matter.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Penalty Charge Notices because it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to appeal to the Traffic Enforcement Centre and the London Tribunals.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that an officer of the Council imposed her own views during a carer’s meeting and made fun of Miss X. This is because the injustice complained of is not significant enough to warrant an investigation.

Summary: The Council failed to provide Mrs X’s child, Y, with specialist provision from their Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X for the distress and frustration the matter caused her and make her a symbolic payment for the specialist provision Y did not receive.

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s handling of her temporary homeless accommodation. We found fault because Ms X and her family have been living in unsuitable accommodation since June 2021. This caused Ms X and her family avoidable distress, frustration and uncertainty. To remedy the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise, make symbolic payments to her and update her on its current position in finding her new accommodation.

Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to provide him with interim accommodation when he made a second homelessness application in July 2024. The Council was at fault for ending interim accommodation too early after Mr X made a homelessness application in July 2024. It also delayed in completing his review request. This left Mr X homeless and caused avoidable distress and uncertainty. The Council will apologise, make a financial payment, and remind staff of the correct legal duties.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss B’s complaint about Penalty Charge Notices she received for alleged moving traffic contraventions. This is because any fault by the Council has not caused Miss B a significant injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council Tax arrears and enforcement. This is because the injustice caused was remedied during the Council’s complaints process.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council wrongly pursued him for council tax debt. He also complained about the Council’s decision to take legal action against him and the process it followed. We found the Council at fault for misleading wording on its website which caused Mr X avoidable distress. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr X to recognise his distress and make changes to improve its service. We cannot investigate the other parts of this complaint because the issues Mr X complained about have been, or reasonably could have been, discussed in court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Ms X’s housing allocation band. Ms X’s complaint has been made late and there is no good reason to consider it now.

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about how the Council handled adult safeguarding concerns. There is not a good reason for the delay in Miss X complaining to us.

Summary: We found no fault on Miss Y’s complaint about the Council preventing her from bidding on suitable properties. There was fault on her complaint about it failing to consider whether it needed to assess whether she was homeless because it was unreasonable to expect her to continue living in her home. The Council agreed to send a written apology, pay £400 for the injustice caused, remind relevant officers of the duties owed to those who may be homeless, and consider whether it owes her a homeless duty. It also agreed to check whether she needs help bidding and contact her about the key sa

Summary: Miss X complained the Council failed to provide an adequate recycling refuse collection, served her with a fixed penalty notice for fly tipping rubbish and did not respond to her missed bin complaints. The Council was at fault when it sent a letter regarding the waste offence to the incorrect address which meant Miss X missed the opportunity to present her case. The Council also failed to explain how residents of flats can report problems with refuse collection. The Council will apologise and pay Miss X £200 to acknowledge the uncertainty, frustration and distress this caused. The Cou

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of two parking penalty charge notices as Mr X could have asked the court to consider his case.

Summary: Ms D complains the Council failed to resolve disrepair at her temporary accommodation and queries decisions made by the Council about her housing priority. I have found evidence of fault because the Council delayed progressing repairs. The Council has agreed to pay Ms D redress for the delay.

Summary: Miss F complained on behalf of Mr B that the Council failed to assess his housing needs and deal with disrepair. We found fault as Mr B had been living in unsuitable accommodation. The Council has made a payment to remedy the injustice this caused.

Summary: Mr Y complains the Council did not properly consider the application for his child, D, to receive home to school transport. We find procedural fault which, on the balance of probabilities, meant the Council did not provide transport when it should have done. The Council has agreed to make a symbolic payment of £900 in recognition of the education D missed. The Council will also pay £500 in recognition of the avoidable distress caused to Mr Y and his family.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s response to his request for a Disabled Facilities Grant to fund improvements to his property. We have found no fault by the Council in dealing with the matter. So we have completed our investigation.

Summary: X complained that the Council has failed to take planning enforcement action against a neighbour, who, X alleges, is running a business without planning permission on land behind X’s home. X said the use of the land affects their amenities. We completed our investigation because we found no evidence of fault in the decision-making process.

Summary: Ms X complained the Council cancelled her direct debit and council tax account after acting on fraudulent information. This caused a large amount of arrears to build. We did not find the Council at fault.