Case Ref: 24 013 128 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant officers to include their reasoning in housing priority decision letters.
• The Council has agreed to provide additional training and/or guidance to ensure its complaints officers can identify whether there are any outstanding reviewable decisions before responding to complaints about reviews. Alternatively, it should ensure its complaints officers check with the relevant team.

Case Ref: 24 013 089 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to provide evidence to show that it no longer has a significant backlog in processing housing applications and carrying out reviews, and that it is assessing 95% of housing applications within eight weeks.

Case Ref: 24 013 075 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• Provide training and/or guidance to its staff to ensure they are following the requirements of the Housing Act 1996 and the Homelessness Code of Guidance when dealing with homelessness applications. It should include the criteria for accepting subsequent homelessness applications, the requirement to issue decision letters, the timescales for the relief and prevention duties and the need to consider whether it is reasonable for the applicant to continue to occupy their accommodation.
• •Implement a monitoring system to ensure that cases are being handled within reasonable timeframes and that key deadlines (such as the decision on whether the relief duty applies) are met.

Case Ref: 24 012 924 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure it checks which documents a housing applicant has already provided and does not base its decision on only the documents submitted with the latest application. It will also remind all officers that a thorough check of all documents previously provided should be undertaken.
• The Council has agreed to consider amending its procedures to give housing applicants additional time to submit missing documents before their application is closed, to prevent unnecessary delays. If it decides not to amend its procedures, it will amend the application form to include a clear warning about the consequences of not submitting all required evidence.

Case Ref: 24 012 812 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review the documents required for new housing applicants, joint tenants, existing tenants and household members, ensuring that applicants are not asked to provide unnecessary evidence. It will also ensure that staff training is provided so that officers are aware of the different evidence requirements for each applicant type.
• The Council has agreed to provide information to housing applicants on its website and its application form about the evidence it will accept as proof of address if they do not have a council tax bill or utility bill in their name.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure it assesses applications which have been made in accordance with the allocation scheme. Unless the Council changes its allocation scheme, it should not consider applications to be incomplete when a transfer applicant has not provided evidence of their eligibility or when a member of the household has not provided documents.
• The Council has agreed to consider amending its procedures to give applicants additional time to submit missing documents before closing their applications, to prevent unnecessary delays. If the Council continues to close applications without giving applicants an opportunity to submit any missing documents, it will amend the application form to include a clear warning about the consequences of not submitting all required evidence.

Case Ref: 24 012 760 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to develop an action plan detailing the steps it will take to reduce delays in completing enquiries and determining what duty it owes to homeless applicants.
• The Council has agreed to provide us with a copy of its bed and breakfast elimination plan which details the actions it is taking to reduce the time families are staying in bed and breakfast accommodation.
• The Council has agreed to provide guidance to relevant officers about the way to respond to complaints about the suitability of interim or temporary accommodation, to ensure complainants are not deterred from requesting a review.

Case Ref: 24 012 230 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council will ensure that emails to its council tax department receive an automated acknowledgement, so senders know they have been received. The automated acknowledgement should make clear that senders should call the council tax department if a matter is urgent.
• The Council will share a copy of this decision with council tax staff to identify learning from this complaint.

Case Ref: 24 012 178 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review the documents required for new housing applicants, joint tenants and household members, ensuring that applicants are not asked to provide unnecessary evidence. It will also ensure staff training is provided so that officers are aware of the different evidence requirements for each applicant type.
• The Council has agreed to ensure that housing applicants are clearly informed about which documents are required, with consistent information across the allocation scheme, website, application form and any correspondence.
• The Council has agreed to consider amending its procedures to give housing applicants additional time to submit missing documents before closing their applications, to prevent unnecessary delays. If the Council continues to close applications without giving applicants an opportunity to submit any missing documents, it will amend the application form to include a clear warning about the consequences of not submitting all required evidence.

Case Ref: 24 012 111 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review the documents required for new housing applicants and existing tenants, ensuring that applicants are not asked to provide unnecessary evidence. It will also ensure that staff training is provided to ensure that officers are aware of the different evidence requirements for each applicant type.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure it assesses housing applications which have been made in accordance with the allocation scheme. Unless the Council changes its allocation scheme, it will not consider applications to be incomplete because a transfer applicant has not provided evidence of their eligibility.
• The Council has agreed to consider amending its procedures to give housing applicants additional time to submit missing documents before their application is closed, to prevent unnecessary delays. If it decides not to amend its procedures, it will amend the application form to include a clear warning about the consequences of not submitting all required evidence.

Case Ref: 24 010 957 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Draw up an action plan, with timescales, setting out the action the Council will take to ensure it carries out the Education, Health and Care Plan process in accordance with the statutory timescales. This is to ensure the Council issues final Education, Health and Care Plans within the statutory timescales.
• By training or other means, remind officers of the Council’s duty to secure the special educational needs provision set out in an Education, Health and Care Plan from the date the final Plan is issued. This is to ensure the delays in delivering provision that occurred in Y’s case do not recur.