Case Ref: 24 002 037 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• 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.

Case Ref: 24 000 823 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

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

Case Ref: 24 000 304 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• Remind staff, either by training or briefing note, of the lessons learned from this case including the need to take action within six days following a permanent education and to provide full time alternative education when a child cannot attend school.

Case Ref: 23 021 237 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• Share this decision with the relevant housing and complaint handling staff and remind them that the Council must be alert to the need for a potential homelessness assessment in their interactions with the public.

Case Ref: 23 020 966 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to ensure the care home is carrying out thorough assessments before admitting new residents.
• The Council has agreed to ensure the care home establishes clear procedures for documenting all aspects of care and treatment provided to residents. This should include specific guidelines for the level of detail required in daily records, such as documenting observations, treatments, care decisions, and any concerns raised.
• The Council has agreed to ensure care home staff are reminded of the correct process to follow when a resident says they are experiencing pain.

Case Ref: 23 020 666 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• 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.

Case Ref: 23 020 612 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the need to clearly explain the reasons for its decision in its school transport appeal letters.
• The Council has agreed to ensure it makes parents aware of any action they need to take, and that they are given the opportunity, to make verbal representations at stage two of the school transport appeal process if they want to.

Case Ref: 23 019 891 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• In response to our enquiries asking for an update on when the replacement recycling bin pod inserts would be delivered, the Council said it would be delivered that day.

Case Ref: 23 018 801 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• Using the example of this case, remind relevant officers about the timescales for handling complaints at each stage of the statutory complaints procedure and the importance of adhering to these.