LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to remove online petitions and proposals for road widening as part of an air quality action plan. There is no fault by the Council on the petitions, we cannot achieve what Ms X wants, and she may use the procedures available for challenging road schemes.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a social worker’s actions. The complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mrs X’s complaint that the Council’s court report in a private family law case was flawed. We cannot lawfully investigate what happens at court including the content of a court report.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to grant a one year House in Multiple Occupation licence. This is because it is not unreasonable to expect the complainant to use his rights of appeal and the Council has not had the opportunity to respond to part of the complaint.

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s general waste collection service and poor communication. The Council was at fault for repeated missed bin collections, failing to carry out recollections and for poor complaints handling. This caused Miss X avoidable frustration and meant she had to go to undue time and trouble reporting missed collections and pursuing her complaint. The Council will apologise and pay Miss X £100. It will also monitor her bin collections for twelve weeks and consider what actions it should take to improve its recollection service.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of the Council’s children’s services in relation to the care of the complainants child. This is because the matter has been subject to court proceedings.

Mr D complained about how the Council dealt with his Community Trigger request. He says it conspired with his landlord and failed to take account of all the information or include him in the review. Mr D also complained that the Council changed the date on an email so that it appeared he sent it later, and it failed to respond to his complaint. Mr D says the Council’s shortcomings have caused him upset and distress and he feels discriminated against.

Summary: Mrs P complained the Council failed to consider a planning application or take her objections into account. She says the Council failed to provide measurements or respond effectively to her complaint. The Council says it has completed all the processes correctly. We find no fault in the Council’s consideration of the planning application or Mrs P’s objection. We find fault with the Council for failing to upload the revised plans and in failing to distinguish between the planning enforcement and complaint process. However, this did not cause Mrs P a significant injustice.

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s handling of matters relating to a public open space and fencing surrounding it. We will not investigate the complaint because we are unlikely to add to the investigation already carried out by the Council and an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Mr and Mrs A complain about the handling of their son, B’s Continuing Healthcare assessments by the Council. We will not investigate as the Council has responded appropriately and we would not recommend any further action on its part.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed bin collections. The issues complained about affect all or most of the people in the local area.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an offer of housing. This is because Mr X could reasonably have used his right to go to court to challenge the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to arrange household waste collections. The issues Mr X is complaining about affect all or most of the people in the local area.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council handled a reassessment of his council tax support claim. Mr X has a right of appeal to the Valuation Tribunal if he disagrees with the decision. It is reasonable for him to go to the Information Commissioner if he has a data protection complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the failure to arrange bin collections. The issues Ms C is complaining about affect all or most of the people in the local area.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the actions of social workers. The matters complained of are not separable from those involving in an ongoing court process concerning the care of children.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to award a Discretionary Housing Payment. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council has handled the result of industrial action by refuse workers. This is a complaint affecting all or most of the people in the Council’s area and does not affect the complainant more than anyone else.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s delay in replacing her damaged recycling bin. This is because the matter has not caused Miss X a significant personal injustice serious enough to justify an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council’s children’s services dealt with safeguarding concerns almost 40 years ago. This is because the events happened too long ago, and there are no good grounds to exercise discretion and investigate them now.

Summary: there was fault in the way the Council handled Mr X’s enquiries about costs relating to a charging order on his property and delay in providing him with a final settlement figure. But we found no evidence that the Council had reneged on an agreement to write off the costs when Mr X cleared his Council Tax arrears. We have completed the investigation because the Council agreed to provide a suitable remedy for Mr X’s time and trouble.

Summary: Mr D complains the Council’s adult social care team failed to help him deal with his council tax benefits or to get food during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020. The Council did not send Mr D a copy of his care and support assessment, but this did not cause him any injustice. We have found no fault in the other parts of Mr D’s complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a safeguarding referral in 2014. This is because this happened too long ago, and I see no reason why the complaint could not have been pursued with the Ombudsman sooner.