Council wrongly instructed enforcement company to destroy fast food trailer A Barnet street food trader has been left significantly out of pocket after the council wrongly instructed its nuisance vehicle enforcement company to destroy his pizza van when it was reported abandoned, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The council made no attempt to get in touch with the owner w ...

Compacts between councils and civil society organisations This fact sheet is aimed primarily at civil society organisations who are having difficulties with the implementation of a compact agreement with the council and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. What is a civil society organisation (CSO)? CSOs are bodies such as charities, social enterprises and community groups. Exa ...

Special educational needs This fact sheet is aimed mainly at parents who are concerned that their child may have special educational needs that are not being met and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. What is the Ombudsman's role in complaints about special educational needs? The law generally prevents us from investigating complaints where the decision or issue complained ab ...

Teenager with autism misses start of term when council cancels transport A teenager who attends a special school missed the start of the school year because Surrey County Council did not tell his mum she needed to reapply for transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The Ombudsman upheld the mother’s complaint and in addition to asking the council to put things right fo ...

Worcestershire stroke survivor left without support she needed A Worcestershire woman who had had a stroke was left without appropriate care for 12 months because the county council took too long to set up her direct payments. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked the council to pay the woman £3,000 to recognise the distress caused by not having the right care between January 2 ...

Oxfordshire teen left out of school for 14 months because of council delay Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to apologise to a teenager and her family and pay them more than £2,000 after she missed months of schooling during her GCSEs because it did not find her a secondary school place, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. The girl spent 14 months without formal education ...

Birmingham to change complaints process following Ombudsman report Birmingham City Council has agreed to revisit the way it responds to complaints about respite care for children with disabilities after it wrongly told families to appeal to the Ombudsman. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) became concerned that the council and Birmingham Children's Trust were sending parents d ...

Cornwall care cost calculations criticised The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding councils that people can spend their money as they wish, within reason, when paying for their own care, after an investigation found faults with the way Cornwall Council assessed a man’s finances. The reminder has come following a complaint to the Ombudsman that Cornwall Council made a number of ...

Stockton-on-Tees to improve its education transport policy for young adults following Ombudsman investigation A Stockton-on-Tees mother had to take her young adult son to and from college for three academic years, because the council failed to recognise its duty to arrange free transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The son, who has an Education, Health and Care Plan ...

Council to apologise to Year 10 pupil left without a school for more than a year Leicestershire County Council has agreed to apologise and pay a teenager £7,200 after it left her without a school place for nearly 14 months at a critical time in her education. The teenager, whose family moved from the Leicester area over the county border when she was in Year 10, was out of school and without educ ...