LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Mr X complained about information included in a children’s social care assessment. We have found that the Council was at fault, as it has not yet dealt with Mr X’s complaint properly. It will now do so.

Summary: We upheld Ms X’s complaint about delay in issuing Y’s Education Health and Care Plan and delay in arranging alternative educational provision. This caused avoidable frustration, uncertainty, distress and a loss of provision. The Council will issue an apology, and make payments for missed provision, distress/uncertainty and reimburse the cost of an Educational Psychologist's report.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about housing benefit and council tax reduction. It is reasonable to expect Miss X to use, or to have used, her tribunal appeal rights. It is reasonable to expect Miss X to take court action for the alleged damage to her health. It would be disproportionate to investigate other parts of the complaint in isolation.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to provide interim accommodation from June to September 2024. We find no fault. The Council considered the evidence provided and used its professional judgement and decided it did not have reason to believe Mr X was in priority need and so did not offer interim accommodation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax premiums because there is a right of appeal to a Valuation Tribunal and part of the complaint has been remedied.

Summary: We have upheld this complaint because the Council delayed considering a complaint at stage three of the children’s statutory complaints procedure. The Council has now agreed to resolve the complaint by arranging a stage three panel without further delay. It will also apologise to the complainant for not doing so sooner.

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint about the school named in an Education Health and Care Plan because she has appealed to the Tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax liability because there is a right of appeal to a Valuation Tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the circumstances in which the complainant's child went into the Council’s care. This is because it does not meet the tests set out in our Assessment Code. We have no remit to investigate matters which are currently subject to or closely linked to court proceedings.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how to meet adult social care and support needs. The Council has explained the actions it needs to take to review the person’s care and support plan and to provide a carer's assessment to the complainant. An Ombudsman investigation would not achieve a different outcome.

Summary: Mrs X complained about the Council’s handling of the Education, Health and Care Plan process for Mrs B’s son following an annual review. The Council accepted it was at fault for causing delays in the process and how it communicated with Mrs B. The Council will make an apology, financial payment and service improvements to remedy the injustice its faults caused.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mrs Z’s complaint that the Council named an unsuitable school in her child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. Mrs Z has already appealed to the SEND Tribunal about this. We will not consider other issues raised by Mrs Z as we have already considered them in a previous complaint to the Ombudsman.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s pre-application planning advice. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax payments as the matter has been remedied.

Summary: Miss X complained about delays in the Education, Health, and Care Plan process and in issuing a final EHC Plan for her son. We found the Council’s failure to issue a final EHC Plan within the statutory timeframe is fault. This fault has caused Miss X and her son an injustice.

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

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s treatment of the complainant in relation to council tax arrears. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax and benefits matters. The Council properly reached its decision not to backdate council tax reduction for 2018 to 2023. It is reasonable to expect Mr X to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal about the 2024/25 council tax. The law prevents us investigating the Council’s court action and costs. It would be disproportionate in the circumstances to investigate whether, had the Council acted differently sooner, the court action would not have happened. There are not enough grounds to investigate the alleged delay with the housing benefi

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Education, Health and Care plan process. This is because the Council has agreed to an appropriate remedy for the injustice caused by the delay.

Summary: We have upheld this complaint because the Council delayed carrying gout an Education Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a delay by the Council in issuing a council tax bill. This is because the Council has provided a satisfactory response.

Summary: We have upheld this complaint because the Council delayed issuing an Education Health and Care Plan for a child. The Council has agreed to resolve the complaint by offering to make a suitable payment to the complainant to remedy the injustice this cause.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about delays in the Education, Health, and Care needs assessment for her son and in issuing a final Plan. Or the Council’s failure to identify a suitable school or provide alternative educational provision or the therapeutic provision specified in her son’s EHC Plan. This is because her complaint is late and Mrs X has exercised her right of appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal.

Summary: On behalf of Mr X, Ms Y complained the Council acted incorrectly when dealing with reported planning breaches. Ms Y said this caused Mr X distress. We have found the Council at fault for delays in updating Ms Y and Mr X. The Council has agreed to apologise for any injustice caused by the delays and remind its staff to ensure members of the public are kept updated on progress when it is investigating reports of planning breaches.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council delivered the content of her child, Y’s, Education, Health and Care Plan to them between 2020 and summer 2023, about matters relating to free school meals, or issues regarding school transport. This is because the complaint is late, and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate now. Matters after summer 2023 are new complaints.