Elderly man suffers after council splits him from his wife An elderly couple of 59 years were split up with little regard for their welfare by Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The couple were separated when the wife was discharged to a care home after leaving hospital. The husband was left to live in the family home with the help o ...

Council fails to carry out financial assessment following Ombudsman investigation North Yorkshire County Council has failed to carry out a financial assessment it had agreed to undertake following an earlier upheld complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The council had agreed to complete the disability related expenditure assessment of a young woman, to include her housing a ...

Council to reconsider how it allocates housing following Ombudsman investigation East Lindsey District Council has been asked to review its housing allocations policy to ensure it meets its equality duties, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Ombudsman looked at the council’s policy after a couple complained they had been barred from joining the housi ...

Ombudsman annual review highlights widening cracks in council complaints systems The ‘widening cracks’ in local government complaint handling are being highlighted in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review of complaints 2020-2021, published today. Over the past year, the Ombudsman has upheld a greater proportion of investigations – 67% – than ever before. This continues an ...

Staffordshire council missed multiple deadlines reviewing girl’s special needs plans Staffordshire council’s consistently poor administration of a county teen’s special educational needs plan left her college unable to properly support her, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The girl, who has autism spectrum disorder and physical disabilities, moved to a new college from he ...

City of Wolverhampton Council to improve its adoption recruitment process Wolverhampton council has agreed to ensure its adoption recruitment procedure adheres to statutory guidance, following an Ombudsman investigation. The move has come following a woman’s complaint about the way she was assessed and rejected for adoption by an agency acting on the council’s behalf. The Ombudsman found the agen ...

London council failed to review its support for disabled children Councils should respond to all recommendations made during independent complaints investigations, says the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after it upheld a mother’s complaint about London Borough of Waltham Forest. The issue is being highlighted after the mother of a disabled child asked the Ombudsman to investigate the ...

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 ...

Children's support services This fact sheet is aimed primarily at parents, carers and young people who have a problem with a children’s support services and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I am dissatisfied with the outcome of my complaint about children's support services. How can the Ombudsman help me? If you’ve made a complaint and the council has looked into it, but yo ...

Cornwall Council takes more than a decade to decide village green application Cornwall Council has taken more than 11 years to determine a man’s village green application, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The man first applied to the council to have a piece of land in his village considered as a village green in 2008, and therefore receive a certain amount of protection a ...