Mother fleeing domestic abuse placed in unsuitable mixed-sex accommodation by Tower Hamlets council A mother fleeing domestic abuse with her children had to live in accommodation, provided by Tower Hamlets council, that was so unsuitable her eldest child, who is disabled, regularly soiled themselves because they were scared of using the shared bathroom, the Local Government and Social Care Ombuds ...

Trees This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who have concerns that a council has failed to deal properly with a protected tree and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. The counciI did not deal properly with a protected tree near my home. Can the Ombudsman help me? Yes, in some circumstances. Councils have powers to make tree preservation orders (TPOs) for trees or woodla ...

Advice to planning applicants (complaints about) This fact sheet is aimed primarily at planning applicants who are unhappy with advice they have received from the council and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I asked the council for advice about the work I wanted to do. I followed the advice I was given and now discover it was wrong. Can the Ombudsman help me? Only in limite ...

Somerset County Council fails to complete assessment of woman’s needs Somerset County Council has been asked to complete its assessment of a disabled woman’s needs following an earlier complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Following that complaint, the council had agreed to reassess the woman’s needs properly and consider her eligibility under the Care Act 2014. However, th ...

London man has to give up job after council houses him in Birmingham A man who called upon Merton council for help with housing, had to give up one of his jobs because he was given accommodation in Birmingham – leaving him with a three hour commute. An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found London Borough of Merton at fault because it did not take into account t ...

Homeless Haringey family left in bed and breakfast accommodation because of council errors A Haringey mother of six has been living in bed and breakfast accommodation since February 2020 because her local council did not do enough to prevent her from becoming homeless, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The mother, some of whose children are disabled, had been living in pri ...

Councils should remedy without delay – Ombudsman The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has been compelled to highlight two cases where a council has not acted to put things right in good time. Bury Metropolitan Borough Council has taken too long to carry out the Ombudsman’s recommendations in two separate education complaints, leading the LGSCO to publish reports on both cases. In the fi ...

Wirral teen missed out on post-16 education because of council faults Wirral MBC has been asked to pay a teenager more than £4,000 after it failed to put in place proper educational provision for him. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was asked to investigate by the teenager’s mother after the council took too long to review her son’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan. This left ...

Ombudsman encouraged by Liverpool’s response to complaints review The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has welcomed Liverpool City Council’s approach to, and progress on, overhauling and improving the way it handles complaints. The Ombudsman was invited to carry out a full review of the council’s complaint handling procedures, as part of a raft of reviews prompted by government- ...

Islington woman scared she would be “left to die” due to council inaction A disabled Islington woman was left in a state of neglect after her local council took too long to decide what funding it would give her to manage her own support needs, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported. The woman has several long-term health conditions that make it difficult for her to complete m ...