North Northamptonshire Council (23 009 595)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 16-Apr-2024

Summary: We uphold a complaint about delay issuing Y’s final Education Health and Care Plan for his post-16 placement. This caused avoidable frustration, uncertainty and a delay in appeal rights. The Council will apologise and make Ms X a symbolic payment of £150.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 017 202)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 13-May-2024

Summary: We upheld this complaint. There was delay finding a school place for Y and in issuing his final Education Health and Care Plan. This caused avoidable distress and a loss of educational provision. The Council will apologise, make payments and review its procedures to minimise the chance of the same thing happening again.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 005 766)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 15-May-2024

Summary: Ms X complains about delay in completing an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment, which delayed her child being allocated a school place, and led to missed education. There was a 10 month delay in producing a final EHC Plan and a further 2 month delay in consulting schools. This led to 3 weeks of missed education at the start of the next school year before interim tuition was provided. The delays caused unnecessary distress, uncertainty, time and trouble. The Council will apologise, make a payment to acknowledge the impact of the fault and carry out service improvements.

North Northamptonshire Council (22 014 688)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 02-Jun-2024

Summary: There was fault the Council did not issue a final Education, Health, and Care Plan for Mrs X’s son in line with deadlines. There was also fault it did not agree a personal budget for an education otherwise than at school provision alongside that deadline. This caused Mrs X’s son an injustice because he was without the full education provision due, for an academic term. There was also fault in how the Council handled Mrs X’s complaint about this. The Council have agreed it will make a symbolic payment to Mrs X to remedy these injustices.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 013 542)

Statement Upheld Pollution 13-Jun-2024

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s delayed response to a breach of planning control at a development near his house and poor communication and complaints handling. The Council was at fault. Council departments did not liaise when Mr X first complained which was not in line with its enforcement policy and though we cannot show the outcome would have been different, Mr X is understandably disappointed and uncertain about what might have happened if the fault had not happened. The Council was also at fault for poor complaints handling which caused Mr X frustration, uncertainty and time and trouble. The Council will apologise, pay Mr X a symbolic payment and put in place service improvements.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 006 293)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 13-Jun-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council failed to provide full-time education for her child since September 2021. Mrs X says the Council placed her child on a reduced timetable before they stopped attending school entirely in May 2023. We found the Council at fault for failing to provide suitable education for Mrs X’s child for five weeks and for delays in reviewing the child’s Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council agreed to apologise to Mrs X, pay her £250 for the avoidable frustration and inconvenience caused and £800 in recognition of the missed education.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 013 013)

Statement Upheld School transport 16-Jun-2024

Summary: Mrs G complained about the Council’s poor handling of her free home to school transport application and appeal. She said as a result she experienced distress, uncertainty and had to transport her daughter to school. We found the Council at fault for causing delays, communicating poorly with her, and it failed to consider her appeal as set out in its policy. The Council should apologise and make payment to acknowledge the uncertainty it caused. It should also offer Mrs G for its appeal panel to consider her case.

North Northamptonshire Council (22 011 910)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 27-Jun-2024

Summary: Miss X complained the Council has failed to provide alternative provision for her daughter, F since May 2021 when she stopped attending school. The Council was at fault. It failed to have sufficient oversight or consider whether to put alternative provision in place for F during the 2021/2022 academic year. It then further failed to have oversight or put in place enough education for F between September 2022 and May 2023 after it accepted the alternative provision duty. The Council agreed to make payments to Miss X to recognise the injustice this caused.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 006 332)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 16-Jul-2024

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council delayed in re-assessing her child D’s Education, Health, and Care needs, and failed to ensure D received a suitable education and special educational needs support. There was fault by the Council which caused D to miss education and special educational needs support. This also caused avoidable distress for D, and avoidable distress, time, and trouble for Mrs X. The Council agreed to pay a financial remedy, and ensure suitable education and special educational needs support is in place for D without delay. It will also review its complaint handling processes and issue reminders to staff who handle complaints.

North Northamptonshire Council (23 009 712)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 12-Aug-2024

Summary: Mr B complained that the Council failed to take any effective action on his homeless application from March 2023 until March 2024 or respond to his complaint about the matter. It also suspended his bidding account, so he was unable to bid on available properties. We have found fault with the Council’s actions. The Council has agreed to take a fresh application from Mr B now, apologise to him, pay him £1000 and improve its procedures for the future.