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 ...

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 ...

Homeless family left in damp and cockroach-infested properties by London council London Borough of Haringey did not deal properly with disrepair issues at the two properties where it placed a homeless family, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found. Problems the mother and her children encountered in the temporary accommodation included cockroach infestations, issues with the gas sup ...

Family left to sofa surf for 12 months after being ‘forgotten’ by Waltham Forest council A Waltham Forest family had to sofa surf for 12 months because the local council forgot about them, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The family became homeless in August 2022 but the Ombudsman’s investigation into the family’s complaint found the council did not do enough to help them ...

Oxfordshire fails to provide alternative education for a year Oxfordshire County Council has been told it needs to pay £5,000 to the mother of an Autistic boy to make up for the 12 months education he missed when he was unable to attend school. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has also asked the council to pay the mother £2,200 to reimburse the cost of the educational psychologist s ...

Council told woman with dementia to change care home when her money ran out Brighton and Hove City Council told a woman’s family she would have to move to a cheaper care home when her money ran out, without assessing whether moving would harm her, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The woman had been paying for her care at a residential home near to her daughter. When her m ...

Leicester City Council refuses to pay Ombudsman remedy to domestic abuse victim following complaint Leicester City Council has refused part of the Ombudsman’s recommendation to pay a homeless woman for not giving her the right support when she asked it for help. The Local Government and Social Care stepped in to investigate after the mother and her children were forced to flee their home to escap ...

Council wrote to 99 families about EHC Plan reviews that did not happen - Ombudsman Nearly 100 children and young people with Education Health and Care (EHC) plans in the North East have not had their support updated properly by Stockton on Tees Borough Council, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The issue came to light during an Ombudsman’s investigation, after a mother co ...

Child protection issues This fact sheet is for parents, carers, children and young people who have experienced problems with a child protection issue and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I have a problem with a child protection matter. Can the Ombudsman help me? In many cases, yes. Where a child is thought to be at risk of significant harm, the council has a duty to make en ...