LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision that the complainant does not qualify to join the housing register. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about two Penalty Charge Notices because the complainant could have appealed to the tribunal.

Summary: We cannot investigate most of Mr X’s complaints about the Council’s actions during court proceedings because the issues complained about have been considered by a court and the law says we cannot investigate. We did not investigate part of Mr X’s complaint because it is too closely related to the matters considered by a court.

Summary: Mrs X complains about the Council not sending her a copy of her child’s education, health and care plan and not providing her child with a suitable education. The Council is at fault for failing to ensure a suitable education was being provided to Mrs X’s child and for not communicating with her effectively about her child’s plan. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused by the fault.

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s recovery of for council tax arrears and a prohibition notice it served on Mr X in 2022. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about a fostering placement and a child protection investigation following it. Mr X could have approached us sooner, and there is thus no good reason to exercise the discretion available to us to consider these late matters.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council's decision not to issue a Blue Badge. This is because the Council is considering a new application and there is nothing more we could achieve at this stage. It has also recommended service improvements.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to maintain or prevent obstruction not alleyway land which it says it does not own. It is reasonable for Mrs X to consider a legal remedy to prevent neighbours from parking and obstructing her access over the land.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to evict the complainant from his allotment. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a safeguarding alert. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. We cannot achieve anything to add to the Council’s ongoing enquiries and also the Care Quality Commission is better placed to consider.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council used inaccurate records at court. This is because we cannot investigate what happened in court.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss B’s complaint about the contents of a court report and a social worker failing to attend a court hearing without notice. This is because the complaint concerns matters which have been considered in court or are closely related to those matters.

Ms X’s complaint about a failure to secure special educational provision on her child Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan is premature and she needs to raise it with the Council first. We do not uphold the second complaint. The Council did not include the recommendations of a Tribunal on Y’s Plan because the NHS decided not to commission health provision. This is not fault because there is no provision agreed by the NHS for the relevant part of the Plan.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council before and during Mr Y’s homeless application. This is because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about highway repair and maintenance because we are satisfied with the actions the Council has taken and agreed to take.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about MOT failures for a taxi. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and the complainant could have complained to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.

Summary: X complained about the Council’s failure to take enforcement action against his neighbour, who carried out development works without planning permission. We did not investigate this complaint further, because we were unlikely to find fault, recommend a remedy or reach any other meaningful outcome.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council allowing a former partner to remove Mr X’s property. The matter complained of is not separable from the Council’s role as a social housing provider.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about changes to a parking permit scheme. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and we cannot achieve the outcome the complainant wants.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not investigating or responding to safeguarding concerns about hospital ward cleaning standards which worried the complainant’s son when he was a patient. This is because there is neither evidence of Council fault we could investigate effectively, nor evidence of significant injustice to the complainant or to her son which would warrant the Ombudsman investigating.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions connected with the removal of Ms X’s children from her care. The matters complained of are not separable from matters that either formed or could reasonably have formed part of court proceedings.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about historic council tax arrears. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council and because he could have challenged the Council’s decision in court. .

Summary: Mrs B complained to the Ombudsmen that a Care Home provided inadequate care to her son. She complained this led to significant, life-changing consequences for him. We decided not to investigate Mrs B’s complaint. This is because it is unlikely we would reach meaningful, evidence-based findings that the Care Home’s actions caused Mr A a specific injustice.

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s application of its home to school transport policy. There was fault in the way the Council conducted its stage 2 appeal which caused Mrs X uncertainty. There was also delay holding the panel. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X, reconvene a stage 2 panel and update its policy to reflect statutory guidance.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council has not allowed her to have contact with her former foster child, Y. Mrs X also complained the Council failed to provide sufficient support for her and Y to maintain the placement and she was pushed into giving notice on the placement. Mrs X says this has caused her emotional distress and financial hardship. The Council was not at fault.