Publicising planning applications This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who believe that the council has failed to advise them of a planning application that may affect them and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. The council did not tell me about a planning application. Can the Ombudsman help me? Yes, in some circumstances. If you believe that the council failed to tel ...

Planning enforcement This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who believe the council should be taking enforcement action against a nearby development and may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman. I think there has been a breach of planning control near my property and the council has not taken enforcement action. Can the Ombudsman help me? Yes. We usually investigate complaints ...

Luton told to fix benefits backlog by Ombudsman Luton Borough Council is improving the way it administers benefits appeals after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it had a backlog of cases dating back five years. A man complained on behalf of his mother that the council had cancelled her housing benefit in 2017, but it had taken it until 2023 to refer her case to the Tribunal. ...

Introducing the new virtual assistant The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has launched a new online assistant to help people get the information they need, faster. The virtual assistant can answer questions, help people understand how to make a complaint, and explain what LGSCO can and cannot look at. It uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to trawl through information contained within th ...

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy Contents: Chapter index for Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy Updated: 05 August 2024 Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy search Search this content Submit search Part 2 • Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Statement of Intent Health, Safety, and Wellbeing Statement of Intent The Commission for Local Administration in England’s policy is to: maintain safe and heal ...

Ombudsman issues guidance on housing allocations for Disabled people Councils’ housing allocations schemes is the subject of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s third practical guide for housing officers to help improve services for Disabled people. The latest guide highlights issues Disabled people face when applying to councils’ housing schemes, and the changes local councils can m ...

Ombudsman and Enforcement Conduct Board sign agreement The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to aid better investigation of complaints and concerns about enforcement agents. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about enforcement agents – more commonly known as bailiffs – when acting on behalf of local authorit ...

New guide aims to improve support for children missing education The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has today published new guidance to help councils better support children who are unable to go to school. The Ombudsman has seen an exponential rise in complaints involving alternative education provision. Over the past three years its caseload has increased tenfold with 38 cases invest ...

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 ...

Worcestershire stroke survivor left without support she needed A Worcestershire woman who had had a stroke was left without appropriate care for 12 months because the county council took too long to set up her direct payments. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked the council to pay the woman £3,000 to recognise the distress caused by not having the right care between January 2 ...