LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council considered a school admissions appeal for Y. We find no fault with the process the Council followed to consider Miss X’s appeal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the cancellation of Mrs X’s ‘right to buy’ application. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mrs X to take court action.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint the Council wrongly cancelled her ‘right to buy’ claim. It is reasonable to expect Miss X to take the Council to court.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to safeguard her child, Y, from risks of exploitation. The Council was at fault for failing to consider Mrs X’s complaint through the children’s statutory complaint procedure. The Council has agreed to consider Mrs X’s complaint through the correct procedure, apologise and pay Mrs X a symbolic amount to recognise the frustration caused to her.

Summary: Miss X complained about how the Council pursued her for a debt related to overpaid housing benefit. We have ended our investigation as the Council has agreed not to pursue Miss X for the debt, therefore there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a housing benefit overpayment as the matter has been appealed to a tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about decisions the Council made on Miss X’s right to buy application. There is no worthwhile outcome achievable by us investigating and it is reasonable to expect Miss X to use the alternative court remedy available to her.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mrs X being charged at a private rate for residential home care received. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant our further involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled a ‘right to buy’ application. It is reasonable to expect Miss X to use her right to take court action.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about poor treatment Mr X received during a public event. This is because an investigation would not result in a worthwhile outcome for Mr X.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council communicated with Mr X about his mother’s care fees. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax arrears because the complainant could have appealed to the Valuation Tribunal.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council delayed processing his application to renew his private hire taxi vehicle licence causing him to miss out potential earnings. The Council was at fault for a minor delay in approving Mr X’s application. The Council agreed apologise to Mr X to acknowledge the distress and frustration this caused.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the delay in responding to a complaint that a councillor breached the code of conduct. The Council has now concluded the complaints process and we consider that further investigation will not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to follow its published complaint procedure. We consider the complainant has not suffered a significant personal injustice which warrants our involvement.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a tree in a neighbour’s garden. This is because the Council’s housing service manages the tree and we have no power to investigate a complaint which involves a council acting as a landlord.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mrs X’s son’s Education, Health and Care plan because she has appealed to a Tribunal. We will not investigate the remaining matters regarding delay and failure to provide section 19 provision because we cannot achieve the outcome Mrs X is seeking.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of concerns he raised about a licenced taxi owner following an accident. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to collect and/or return her garden bin on several occasions. While we find no fault in how the Council handled the missed bin collections, we do find fault in the way it managed her contact. However, this did not result in a significant injustice. We also find fault in the Council’s delay responding to her complaint, which caused her avoidable distress. We recommend the Council reviews the decision to restrict her contact.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about court reports. The law prevents us from investigating anything that is or has been the subject of court proceedings.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council failed to take appropriate action regarding safeguarding concerns he raised about abuse his mother was suffering, and that the Council failed to call him back. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider the late complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to agree to pay direct payments. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault with how the Council reached its decision not to provide direct payments.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decision that he does not have a priority need for accommodation. This is because it was reasonable for him to have appealed to the county court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to recover a housing benefit overpayment. This is because it is reasonable to expect Miss X to use her right of appeal to the First Tier Tribunal.

Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council taking court action against him for anti-social behaviour in 2023. 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.