Service improvements

Birmingham City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

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 - 10 of 15 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 (24 004 805)

    Category: Housing Date: 28-Jan-2025

    Summary

    The Council wrongly reduced Mr X’s housing priority and failed to promptly close his review when it resolved the issue. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr X and to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to take steps to ensure all decisions are properly recorded.The Council has agreed to investigate why the housing applicant's priority was reduced and take action to avoid such errors in future.The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that, once a matter under review is resolved, the review is promptly closed.The Council has agreed to provide evidence of the action it is taking to ensure housing applicants do not receive blank attachments when officers are recreating letters.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 003 362)

    Category: Housing Date: 06-Jan-2025

    Summary

    The Council placed Mr and Mrs B in unsuitable accommodation for four months, failed to record the reasons for its decisions and failed to properly communicate with Mr and Mrs B. It also wrongly decided it no longer owed Mr and Mrs B the main housing duty and delayed carrying out reviews of its decisions. We have recommended that the Council makes a payment to Mr and Mrs B, makes an offer of suitable accommodation and makes service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind officers that they must record the reasons for their decisions and that offers of accommodation to discharge the main housing duty must be made in writing.The Council has agreed to provide an update on the action it is taking to reduce the time it is taking to carry out reviews of homelessness decisions.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 002 037)

    Category: Housing Date: 22-Nov-2024

    Summary

    There was no fault in the way the Council determined Mr B’s housing priority, but it delayed assessing his application and reviewing its decision. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr B and backdate his housing priority. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide an updated action plan to show the action it is taking to reduce delays in processing housing applications and carrying out reviews. It will also provide a report showing how long it is currently taking to assess applications and carry out reviews, and how this has changed over the last year. It will explain the reason for any periods when delays have increased.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 000 823)

    Category: Housing Date: 13-Feb-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained that the Council did not deal with her housing properly. Based on current evidence the Council is at fault because Mrs X had to spend longer than she should have in bed and breakfast accommodation, and it has delayed a financial remedy. Mrs X has suffered avoidable distress and financial loss. The Council should apologise, pay Mrs X the financial remedy agreed and review its policies.

    Service improvements

    Review its policies to ensure rent arrears are notified to those in temporary accommodation.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 020 666)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Oct-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to consider information Mr B provided to support his housing application which led to it wrongly deciding he did not qualify to join the housing register. The Council then delayed assessing the information after agreeing to fast track his application. As a result, Mr B was unable to bid on the housing register for around 11 months. We have recommended that the Council apologises, makes a payment to Mr B and backdates his application award date. We have also recommended service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to investigate why it did not fast track a housing application after agreeing to do so, and take action to prevent such failings in future.The Council has agreed to ensure that when a housing applicant provides supporting documents, they are promptly attached to the applicant’s case, and officers properly check whether information they have requested has been received before assessing the application.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 016 475)

    Category: Housing Date: 15-Jul-2024

    Summary

    The Council delayed assessing Miss B’s housing application and then wrongly decided not to carry out a review of its decision. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Miss B. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to take action to ensure its officers are aware that they should not close a review because an applicant has started to make a new application.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 015 424)

    Category: Housing Date: 12-Aug-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation when Mr B and his family were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for over 41 weeks, 35 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr B to remedy his family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when applicants with dependent children are placed in B & B accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, they are informed that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states that this should be limited to no more than six weeks.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 013 396)

    Category: Housing Date: 18-Jun-2024

    Summary

    The Council used the wrong dates to prioritise Miss B’s housing application. It also significantly delayed considering a request for a review of its decision and then wrongly decided not to carry out a review. We have recommended and the Council has agreed to apologise and make a symbolic payment to Miss B. We have also recommended service improvements.

    Service improvements

    Share the learning from the case at the Council’s next “lessons to be learned quarterly session” with all staff.Highlights this case to the reviewing officer, to ensure reviews are properly carried out in future.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 012 872)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Jul-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation for Ms B and her family when they were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 32 weeks, 26 weeks over the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with dependent children. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Ms B to remedy her family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant officers to ensure they are properly considering relevant matters when carrying out homelessness assessments, in accordance with the homelessness code of guidance, and that they are completing personalised housing plans appropriately.The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when the Council places a family with dependent children in bed and breakfast accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, it confirms that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states this should be limited to no more than six weeks.The Council has agreed to take action to ensure it is able to respond to complaints within the timeframes set out in its complaints procedure.

  • Birmingham City Council (23 012 862)

    Category: Housing Date: 13-Aug-2024

    Summary

    The Council failed to provide suitable accommodation when Mr B and his family were homeless. It placed the family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 58 weeks, one year more than the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with family commitments. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Mr B to remedy his family’s injustice. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to change its letter template to ensure that when applicants with dependent children are placed in B & B accommodation under the interim or main housing duty, they are informed that the Homelessness Code of Guidance states that this should be limited to no more than six weeks.

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