Halton did not do enough to help homeless domestic abuse survivor Halton Borough Council did not do enough to help a man who approached it for help when he became homeless because of domestic abuse, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. Instead, it closed his case without telling him why or giving him the chance to appeal the decision. The man first approached the council for ...

Man left street homeless by Waltham Forest council for five weeks A domestic abuse survivor was street homeless for five weeks, despite asking London Borough of Waltham Forest for help, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The man asked the council for help in late January and said he could no longer live with relatives who were abusing him. The council did not act, and the m ...

Damage to property or personal injury due to poorly maintained highways This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman about damage to their property (eg their car) or an injury they have suffered when using the roads or pavements.It also covers complaints about the failure to properly maintain highways whether or not an injury has occurred ...

Essex couple unable to spend as much time as they wanted in final days because of council decision An Essex woman was not able to spend as much time as she wanted with her husband in his final weeks because the county council moved him to a care placement further away from the family home, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The man, who had dementia, had been living in a ca ...

Somerset failed to act on agreed Ombudsman recommendation Somerset Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for taking too long to put in place Speech and Language therapy for a teenager with special educational needs, following an earlier complaint. The council had agreed to provide the therapy for the girl set out in her Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan ...

Damage to property or personal injury due to poorly maintained highways This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman about damage to their property (eg their car) or an injury they have suffered when using the roads or pavements.It also covers complaints about the failure to properly maintain highways whether or not an injury has occurred ...

Council should have better oversight of nurseries providing free places, Ombudsman says The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has told Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to maintain better oversight of nurseries’ charging structures when they are providing the Government’s free places scheme. The Ombudsman has asked the council to write to all providers in its area who are provi ...

Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services Contents: Chapter index for Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services Updated: 24 June 2025 Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services search ...

Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services Contents: Chapter index for Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services Updated: 24 June 2025 Access denied: Reducing the barriers for Disabled people when accessing council housing and homelessness services search ...

Town and parish councils This fact sheet is aimed primarily at anyone who is experiencing problems with a service provided by a parish or town council and is considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I'm not happy with a service provided by my parish council. Can the Ombudsman help me? In most cases, no. The Local Government Act 1974 (S34(1)) defines the authorities that we may investigate ...