LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council pursuing a care fee sum it considers due from his late mother Mrs Y’s estate, and delaying invoicing for the fees. There is not enough evidence that Council fault has led to the claimed care fee debt or to it being unpaid by the estate to warrant us investigating. Investigation of the invoice issue would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council conducted a safeguarding investigation when he was the subject of allegations that he financially abused his mother. We upheld the complaint, finding the Council conducted an inadequate and biased investigation. This caused Mr X and his mother unnecessary distress, when the Council sought to impose limits on his contact with her. The Council accepted these findings. At the end of this statement, we set out a series of actions it agreed to take to remedy Mr X’s injustice. This included providing him with an apology, a symbolic payment, a review and

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about children services’ actions. We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint as the Council has now agreed to follow the Children Act statutory complaints’ procedure and has agreed a proportionate way to resolve the complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s consideration of Miss X’s direct payment request. The Council upheld her complaint and provided a suitable remedy. We cannot achieve the additional remedies Miss X is seeking. Therefore, it is unlikely our investigation would lead to a different outcome.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice because the complainant appealed to the tribunal. We will not investigate events after the tribunal made its decision because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the maintenance of a sewage treatment works. This is because it would be reasonable for Mr X to take the matter to court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the maintenance of a sewage treatment works. This is because the complaint is late, and it would be reasonable for Mrs X to take the matter to court.

Summary: The Council was not at fault for the way it assessed Mr X’s finances and calculated his care charges. It considered Mr X’s capital as it was at the time of the assessment and then considered changes in his circumstances when it re-calculated his care contributions.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his reports of antisocial behaviour. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault and we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X wants.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the assessment and management of Mr X’s Town Deal grant application. The law does not allow us to investigate the complaint against the Town Deal board. The complaint against the Council is late and there is no good reason to investigate it now.

Summary: Mrs X complained that the Council did not meet statutory timescales or keep her updated when handling her complaint about its children’s social care services. We find the Council at fault for delays and not providing adequate updates which caused distress uncertainty and frustration. The Council agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to remedy the injustice.

Summary: Mrs X complained that the Council failed to arrange alternative provision for her son (Y) when he could not attend his school and failed to complete an Annual Review of his Education Health and Care Plan. We found fault with the Council. This fault caused injustice to Y and Mrs X. The Council has agreed to apologise and make symbolic payments. The Council has also agreed to carry out some service improvements of its Annual Review process.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council publicised and considered an application to vary a planning condition on a previously approved planning application. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s actions to warrant our involvement. Also it is too late to complain about the decision to approve the original planning application in 2023.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s actions when his son (Y) was de-registered from his school. He also complained about the Council’s failure to arrange alternative provision for Y when his parents withdrew from Elective Home Education and its failure to comply with the statutory timescales for Education Health and Care Plans. We found fault with the Council. This fault caused injustice to Mr X. The Council has agreed to apologise to Y and Mr X and to make symbolic payments to recognise the impact of its failings on Mr X.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not taking enforcement action to require his neighbour to reduce the height of their trees. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council incorrectly calculating Disability Related Expenditures in its financial assessment. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council assessed Miss X’s contribution to her care costs. It is unlikely we would find fault with how the Council had made its decision or that an investigation would achieve a different outcome. Miss X’s mother, Mrs Y, can also ask the Council for an appeal through its financial assessment policy.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has failed to take enforcement action against a breach of a planning condition. There is insufficient evidence that fault by the Council has caused the complainant a significant personal injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a highways matter because it is late without good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s handling of her child’s Education Health and Care Plan. She says this caused her child to miss out on education and impacted their emotional wellbeing. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault which caused injustice. The Council will apologise and make a payment to Miss X.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council's decision not to disregard the value of her mother’s property. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to investigate now. In any case, there is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s decision-making to justify our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s conduct regarding the wrongful claim of Mrs X’s land as a public highway. This is because the substantive complaint is late and we cannot investigate issues that have already been dealt with in court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council will not allow the complainant to use a bin for her rubbish. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about delay in the Council’s handling of Mr Z’s complaint under the statutory children complaints procedure. This is because the Council agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused by the likely fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council incorrectly assisting the Mrs X’s funding assistance needs. This is because there is no evidence that the Council’s calculations caused significant injustice.