Service improvements

Birmingham City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Birmingham City Council as a CSV file.

  • Birmingham City Council (21 001 675)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 08-Feb-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his business rates account and its refusal to award rates relief and grants, causing him financial loss and stress. We found fault by the Council that did not affect decision outcomes but caused uncertainty. We recommended the Council provide an apology and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff to provide clear, evidence based decisions, explained in the particular context and circumstances of the case.

  • Birmingham City Council (21 000 869)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 09-Dec-2021

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for how it handled Ms X’s application for council tax support. This caused Ms X injustice as she cannot be sure whether her council tax support entitlement should be backdated. The Council has agreed to the actions at the end of this statement to remedy the injustice to Ms X.

    Service improvements

    Publicise on its website that council tax support application forms are only saved for 30 days and deleted if not submitted within this timeframe.Review its council tax support scheme to ensure the period for backdated claims is clear.

  • Birmingham City Council (21 000 393)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 19-Oct-2021

    Summary

    Mrs Y complained on behalf of Mr X about the Council’s decision to refuse Mr X a business grant, causing him stress, time and trouble and financial loss. We found no fault in the Council’s decision making however we found fault in the way it communicated with Mr X. We recommended the Council provide an apology, payment for distress and acted to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The council will remind staff of the need to give clear, evidence based reasons for its decisions, explained in context, in line with the Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Administrative Practice.

  • Birmingham City Council (20 008 765)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 27-Aug-2021

    Summary

    Ms X complains about how the Council has dealt with her Council Tax account. The Council is at fault as it delayed in sending a Council Tax bill to Ms X setting out her arrears at her former property, delaying in clarifying that her arrears related to her former property when she contacted the Council, failed to follow its vulnerability guidelines and delayed in correctly calculating her eligibility for Council Tax Support. These faults caused distress and avoidable time and trouble to Ms X which the Council has agreed to remedy.

    Service improvements

    By training or other means, ensure officers are aware of the Council’s vulnerability guidelines and when these should be applied;Review its procedures or guidelines for officers to ensure the faults experienced by Ms X do not recur. This should include ensuring officers check whether a Council Tax payer has other open accounts when closing an account to ensure a final bill is sent to their current address and all accounts are checked when dealing with queries from a Council Tax payer.

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