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 ...

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 ...

Luton to review some of its special educational needs services following Ombudsman’s investigation Luton Borough Council has agreed to create a detailed action plan to improve some of its services for children with special educational needs after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman uncovered significant concerns during a recent investigation. The Ombudsman upheld a complaint about the ...

Kettering Borough Council to review its homelessness procedures after disabled woman left in limbo Councils in England are being urged to check their homelessness procedures are fit for purpose, after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found significant fault with a Northamptonshire district council. The Ombudsman’s advice follows its investigation into a homelessness complaint from a ...

Councils reminded of duties to investigate renters’ housing concerns A recent Ombudsman investigation has highlighted local councils’ duties to investigate disrepair concerns in private rented accommodation. A woman complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) about the way Worcester City Council handled a complaint about disrepair issues in her rented flat. The council fo ...

Harrow to improve Blue Badge assessments following Ombudsman investigation A London council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the way it assesses disabled people’s requests for two different transport schemes. The Ombudsman has asked London Borough of Harrow and Access Independent (AI), the company that assesses people in the area for Blue Badges and Freedo ...

Monthly News October 2019 31 Oct 2019 Somerset council took too long assessing disabled woman’s care needs 24 Oct 2019 Blue badge applications to be reviewed in Sheffield 23 Oct 2019 Ombudsman welcomes Education Committee recommendations on Special Educational Needs 17 Oct 2019 Haringey and Islington councils criticised for how they recovered business rate debts 10 Oct 2019 Bexley council failed ...

Family foster carers could be due backdated payments following Ombudsman investigation Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has agreed to check whether it has paid friends and family foster carers properly over the past five years, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The Ombudsman has asked the council to consider backdating fostering allowan ...

Nursing home fails to provide dignified care to Sandwell woman - Ombudsman A Sandwell woman suffered significant hair, diet and skin problems because the nursing home her local council placed her in failed to meet her cultural needs. The woman’s family complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman that despite her care plan stating she needed specialist hair and skin care, and also ...

Monthly News December 2022 15 Dec 2022 Oxfordshire fails to provide alternative education for a year 14 Dec 2022 Ombudsman’s Annual Report highlights improvements for complainants and local service users The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has published its Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22, which details the success of its work to give more complainants a quicker decision on their ca ...