Community Infrastructure Levy This fact sheet is aimed primarily at planning applicants who have concerns about the way the council has dealt with the Community Infrastructure Levy in relation to their planning application and is considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I have a problem with the Community Infrastructure Levy. Can the Ombudsman help me? Sometimes, yes. But there are some m ...

Council asked to revise transport policy for adult learners with Special Educational Needs East Sussex County Council has been asked to review its policy for providing home to college transport for young adults with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman criticised the way it dealt with a family’s situation. The family complained to ...

Blue badge applications to be reviewed in Sheffield Sheffield City Council incorrectly assessed people for disabled blue badges, says an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Following the investigation, the council has agreed to offer a proper assessment to more than 25 people and review its policies to avoid similar issues recurring. The Ombudsman’s investigation stem ...

Exclusion from a school This fact sheet is aimed primarily at parents whose child has been permanently excluded from school and who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. My child has been excluded from school. Can I complain to the Ombudsman? In most cases, yes, though we cannot look at any actions by the school, including its decision to exclude your child, or the governors’ de ...

Council’s failure to pay agreed grant leaves family living on building site A Croydon family was left to live on a building site for nearly two years after their local council failed to pay an agreed grant on time, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The family, which already included three children, took on the care of another child as part of a Special Guardianship agreeme ...

Slough woman unable to access upstairs because of council grant delay A disabled Slough woman has been forced to sleep, eat and wash in her downstairs living room because the council took too long to decide whether she can have a stairlift. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman heard that the woman, who relies on care workers for personal care, has been unable to access her bedroom and b ...

Disabled North Yorkshire residents to see improvements to council’s home adaptations service North Yorkshire Council has agreed to improve the way it deals with Disabled Facilities Grant applications after a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation discovered it had a significant backlog of cases. While investigating a complaint from a resident about the time it was taking for his ...

Family housed in London tower block had no cold water The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised a London council after it placed a young homeless family in a tower block with no cold water and a lift that only worked infrequently. The family was placed in the ninth floor flat by London Borough of Haringey after the temporary accommodation they were initially placed in was infe ...

Dorset County Council leaves boy with special needs without proper education A boy with autism was left without proper education for two years by the former Dorset County Council after it failed to provide him with appropriate alternatives when it became clear mainstream school was not suitable for him. The boy, who also has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), started secondary schoo ...

Woman left trapped in home because of poor council assisted bin collection service Thurrock bin crews have repeatedly trapped a wheelchair user in her home when they have not returned her bins to their proper place, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found. The LGSCO has investigated three separate complaints from the woman since 2019 about how Thurrock Council provides he ...