Ombudsman reminds councils about care home top-up fees Councils across England are being reminded by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman of their duties under the Care Act to administer ‘top-up fees’ for people contributing towards relatives’ care. The warning comes after two councils – Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, and Lincolnshire County Council – disputed some of the Ombudsma ...

Daventry District Council fails to tackle industrial noise complaint properly Some homeowners on a new housing development in the Daventry area have been plagued by excessive noise from a nearby industrial estate because the district council has not done enough to investigate their concerns, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reports. The Ombudsman was asked to investigate the concern ...

Birmingham bin problems highlighted in Ombudsman report From repeated missed collections to failing to return vulnerable people’s bins to the proper place, Birmingham’s refuse service has been criticised in a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Collating the complaints of 17 city residents, the Ombudsman report details how refuse collectors repeatedly failed to collect waste ...

Families in South Gloucestershire being denied the respite support they need - Ombudsman Nearly a third of families of children with special needs in South Gloucestershire have not been receiving the respite care they need, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has discovered. South Gloucestershire Council admitted to the Ombudsman during an earlier investigation that it struggled to fin ...

Ombudsman reminds councils of proper process for supporting vulnerable people at assessment meetings Councils are being reminded by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that vulnerable people can choose who supports them through care reviews, after Suffolk County Council halted assessments for a couple’s care and support plans because of a dispute. The couple, who are deafblind, wanted ...

Devon to review benefits calculations for nearly 300 carers following Ombudsman’s investigation Devon County Council has agreed to look into how it calculated allowances to nearly 300 families who look after children as special guardians, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. During a complaint from a woman who was looking after her grandchild under a Speci ...

Monthly News October 2024 31 Oct 2024 Councils urged to take a measured approach to household waste offenders 24 Oct 2024 Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s response to the National Audit Office report ‘Support for children and young people with special educational needs’ 24 Oct 2024 Council did not do enough to protect residents from noise pollution, Ombudsman says 17 Oct 2024 Homeless ...

Ombudsman criticises Ealing council for leaving family in flat with faulty windows Ealing council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for leaving a young homeless family in a 10th floor flat with faulty windows for nearly 18 months. The council agreed the flat was unsuitable and had disrepair issues which also included leaks, damp, mould, and exposed electrical c ...

Village cricketers forced to move because of planning error A village cricket club has been forced to find a new venue after planners at Shropshire Council failed to put in place measures to prevent balls hitting a new house when it approved planning permission, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. Shropshire Council has now been asked by the Ombudsman to build and maintain a ...

Ombudsman tells Suffolk County Council to improve support for children who can’t go to school Suffolk County Council needs to make improvements “as a priority” to the way it provides alternative education to children who can’t go to school, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has warned. The LGSCO has told the council to again improve its services after the mother of a young gi ...