LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Ms B complained that the Council, in respect of her late uncle Mr D failed to provide adequate care for him at home, failed to respond appropriately to signs of his cognitive decline and failed to properly carry out a best interests decision in respect of his finances. We have not found fault in the Council’s actions.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr B’s complaint about a planning enforcement notice. This is because Mr B appealed to the Planning Inspector. The courts are in the best position to decide whether Mr B has complied with the requirements of the notice.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the actions of the Council’s children’s services. Some issues raised happened too long ago and some have previously been considered by the Ombudsman.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice. There is not enough evidence of fault, and the injustice is not significant enough to warrant further investigation. We could not add to any previous investigation and further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Mrs X complained that the Council failed to follow procedures when it rejected her school admissions appeal against the decision to place her child (Y) in a school closer to their home. The Council considered Mrs X’s application and appeal in line with the relevant law and policies without fault.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about overflowing communal bins. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Ms X complained the Council has refused to collect bulky waste items from the car park of a sheltered housing complex of which she is a manager. We find no fault in the Council’s decision making.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an alledged failure by the Council in 2018 to provide the complainant with home adaptations and equipment. The complainant says these were essential to meeting her health needs. There is no practical prospect that we would be able to investigate the allegations given the allegations made are historical.

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council placed her child in an unsuitable residential home. This is because we have no jurisdiction to look at court decisions.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council did not name a specialist provision in his child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr X to have used his appeal rights to a tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to take action against reports of noise nuisance and breaches of planning control. There is not enough evidence of fault in the way the Council considered the complainants’ reports to justify an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to prune or remove some trees. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Noice because the Council has provided a satisfactory response.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about trees damaging the complainant’s property. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. It is reasonable for the complainant to put claim on the Council’s insurance, and if the claim is refused, take the Council to court.

Summary: We cannot investigate how the Council decided on the placement it would name in an Education, Health, and Care Plan. This is because Ms X had a right to appeal this decision and it would have been reasonable to expect her to use this right. Nor will we investigate Ms X’s complaint about delays in issuing the plan, because there is no significant injustice remaining that would justify an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about highway maintenance because the courts are better placed to consider the complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about parking provision because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating and further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to provide her child with free transport to school. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: Dr X complains that the Council refused her request for a smaller recycling bin despite insufficient space to store the bin and her finding it difficult to move a larger bin due to her disability. The Council was at fault as it failed to signpost Dr X to its assisted collection service. The Council has offered to apologise to Dr X, make a symbolic payment of £100 and refer her to the assisted collection service which is a sufficient and proportionate remedy.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council has not taken enough action to complete repairs within her temporary accommodation. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault. In addition, there are no worthwhile outcomes achievable.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the council tax empty homes premium. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a complaint about the conduct of a councillor. This is because we are unlikely to find fault.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about an incident which led to her being arrested. This is because an investigation by this office could not add to the response the Council has already provided via its own investigation of the matter. Also, we cannot investigate the police’s or the school’s actions in relation to the incident.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to fly-tipping close to Mr X’s home. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: Ms P complains her father’s funeral service was disrupted by the late arrival of a separate funeral party. Although the Council has accepted there were additional steps crematorium staff could have taken to manage the situation, we do not consider this means the Council can reasonably be found to have been fault on the day. The Council has also offered to refund the full costs of the service, which is the most we would recommend if we did find fault. We have therefore completed our investigation.