LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about damage caused to his flat’s bin store by the Council’s waste collection service. This is because it is reasonable to take the matter to the Council’s insurers and, ultimately, the courts.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that her priority band is incorrect, that she is only allowed to bid on flats, and that the Council admitted to giving her low priority as she does not bid enough. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about five Penalty Charge Notices because the complainant either has, or could have, followed the statutory process. In addition, we cannot change the Council’s policy regarding school streets.

Summary: Miss X complains the Council did not review the suitability of temporary accommodation it provided her when she was homeless, when she asked it to. There was fault by the Council which caused Miss X to remain in temporary accommodation that was unsuitable for her, which caused her distress. It also caused avoidable time and trouble for Miss X in bringing her complaint. The Council agreed to apologise to Miss X and review her position on its waiting list for a move to suitable alternative accommodation. It will also pay a financial remedy and continue to do so until it places Miss X in

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to conduct an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment regarding his child, Y. This is because Mr X appealed the decision to the SEND Tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council issuing the complainant twelve penalty charge notices for alleged vehicle contraventions. This is because the complainant could have reasonably appealed the notices to a statutory tribunal. Further, some of the penalty charge notices were cancelled by the Council and so investigation of these issues would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: Mr B complained the Council’s Care Act review of his care and support needs was flawed, and it wrongly ended his direct payment as a result. We found fault in the way the Council reached its decision as it failed to properly consider Mr B’s personal circumstances and evidence available to the Council before it reached its decision. The Council will apologise to Mr B and make payment to acknowledge the distress, uncertainty and loss of care support he experienced.

Summary: The Council was at fault for failing to investigate Ms X’s complaint about the support she received as a Care Leaver at stage two of the statutory complaint procedure for complaints about children’s services. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X, investigate the complaint, and act to improve its services.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to end her care package. This is because the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the uncertainty caused.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s delay in completing his medical assessment and re-assessing his priority band on the housing register. He also complained it failed to act on an adjudicator’s recommendations. We have found fault by the Council, causing injustice, in its delay in completing Mr X’s medical assessment and its failures to: consider expediting the assessment; act on the adjudicator’s recommendations; and inform Mr X of his review rights. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising, making a payment to reflect Mr X’s distress and uncertainty, consideri

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s provision of interim accommodation under its homelessness duty or its assessment of a housing priority after accepting the main housing duty. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of disrepair in a private rented property. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Miss X complained the Council failed in its duties to her after she became homeless in 2021. She says her family faced continuous instability in unsuitable accommodation for two years, which worsened her existing health conditions and meant one of her children was hospitalised due to damage caused by poor living conditions.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a request for information. It is open to Mr X to make a request directly to the organisation that produces the report in question, under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. If the organisation refuses the request, the Information Commissioner’s Office is best placed to consider the matter.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the priority awarded on the Council’s housing register. The Council considered its discretion to award extra priority and back-dated Ms X’s priority date to increase her chance of successfully bidding. There is nothing further we could achieve.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about problems with his temporary accommodation because there is insufficient evidence of fault to justify our involvement.

Summary: Ms F complained about the Council’s handling of her housing register application since 2021 and how it communicated with her. She said as a result she experienced distress and lost out on moves to a suitable property. We agreed with the Council it was at fault for causing an extensive delay in Ms F’s housing application, for its poor communication and its delayed complaints handling. However, its apology and proposed remedy was not enough to acknowledge the injustice this caused Ms F. The Council should make payment to Ms F and provide us with an update on staff training.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a white advisory line to discourage parking in front of a drive. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault and injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has not paid rent and incentive payments for three properties the complainant leased to the Council. This is because it is a late complaint.

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to end its homeless duty and evict Ms X from temporary accommodation in 2022. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Ms X could not have complained to us sooner.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to remove speed humps from outside Mr X’s home due to the noise and vibration which he says he is suffering. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to deal with a noise complaint referred it about a nearby property. He also says the Council failed to respond to his complaint. Mr X says this has caused him distress. We have found fault in the Councils actions for delaying on acting on the report of noise and for failing to deal with the complaint. We recommend the Council issues an apology, makes a a financial payment to Mr X and implements a service improvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s alleged failure to gain Mrs X’s agreement before putting a payment plan in place to recoup outstanding council tax. This is because an investigation would be unlikely to find fault with the Council’s actions.

Summary: We found no fault on Miss K’s complaint about it failing to update her housing application in 2022 following the birth of her son. The Council responded to her queries about how to update her account, explained what she had to do, and gave her a contact number to call if she had difficulties doing so.

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about the Council’s decision to move Mr Y to emergency accommodation in 2022. There is not a good reason for the delay in the matter being brought to our attention.