Case Ref: 20 002 072 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council has agreed to provide reminders/training to ensure that staff understand the Council’s duty to offer suitable alternative educational provision when children are out of school and not receiving a full-time education.

Case Ref: 20 001 802 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Housing benefit and council tax benefit

• The Council agreed to arrange a briefing for staff in the Benefits Service who handle requests for Housing Benefit reconsiderations and appeals to make them aware of the findings of the First Tier Tribunal and the faults we have identified.

Case Ref: 20 001 560 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the duty to inform applicants of all homeless decisions in writing, explaining relevant review rights.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that to end a homelessness duty based on suitable accommodation being available for at least six months, the Council must demonstrate how it is satisfied this is the case.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the law and guidance about setting out reasonable steps for both the Council and the applicant in a Personalised Housing Plan.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the process for dealing with s198 Local Connection referrals from another local authority.

Case Ref: 20 000 991 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Noise

• The Council has agreed to: • Ensure the depot operates according to the operating hours outlined by the Council;
• • Review the parking arrangements at the depot to minimise impact on nearby residents;
• • Review its complaint handling processes.
• •Review its complaint handling processes

Case Ref: 19 019 194 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• The Council will distil the learning from this complaint in relation to data breaches including contacting people when data breaches are made and reporting data breaches from contractors and officers. It will tell me what action it will take to do this.
• The Council will tell me what action it will take in relation to having due regard for complainants' human rights.
• The Council will provide me with its relevant internal policy on acknowledgement of complaints

Case Ref: 19 018 743 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council should invite other members of a Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference to hold a join review of the handling of a case to see what lessons can be learned and what improvements can be made to individual services and communication between services.
• The Council should produce a joint working agreement or protocol between children’s services and its housing department to set out responsibilities and communication channels when dealing with families who are homeless or who need to move from their accommodation.
• The Council should provide training to children’s services staff on the Council’s duties to homeless families and remind staff of the Council’s duties under section 213B of the Housing Act 1996 (as inserted by the Homelessness (Review Procedure) Regulations 2018).
• The Council should remind relevant staff that homelessness applications can be considered alongside housing applications.
• The Council should remind staff in its housing department to review and take necessary action when supporting information is received in relation to a housing application.

Case Ref: 19 018 718 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council will review its appeal procedures to ensure applicants are invited to provide verbal representations to the stage two appeal panel. The Council should explain to the Ombudsman the action it has taken to improve its performance in this area.

Case Ref: 19 018 497 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council should provide training to review officers about the necessity of keeping clear records of an officer’s decision-making rationale.

Case Ref: 19 017 943 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council should remind relevant staff that homelessness applications can be considered alongsidehousing applications.
• The Council should remind staff that households do not have to accept temporary accommodation inorder to be considered homeless or threatened with homelessness.

Case Ref: 19 017 213 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Other

• Th Council should complete an audit of one hundred enforcement cases from December 2019 where an enforcement agent from the enforcement company alleged they visited a debtor’s property, and the debtor was not present. If the Council finds there are other cases where a debtor has been incorrectly charged an enforcement fee, it should offer a remedy to the individual and widen the timescale of its audit.
• The Council should also review how it monitors that the enforcement companies it uses meet Standard 20 of the Ministry of Justice’s National Standards.