Service improvements

Birmingham City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026

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 21 - 30 of 47 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 (24 014 814)

    Category: Education Date: 18-May-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complains the Council has wrongly refused to provide travel assistance for her son. We found the Council failed to carry out the appeals properly or keep clear records of the panels’ decisions. This fault has caused Mrs X distress and uncertainty that her application has been properly considered. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs X, arrange a fresh appeal panel and take action to improve its service.

    Service improvements

    •Remind those dealing with school transport cases of the need to ensure parents/ carers are given the opportunity to attend appeal panel hearings should they wish to.•Advise those dealing with transport appeals of the need to ensure the panel is quorate and of the need to keep clear records of the panel decision and reasons.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 014 669)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 04-Sep-2025

    Summary

    Mr C complained that the Council unreasonably tried to recover a council tax debt from him, 14 years after the debt arose and without any prior notification. We have not found fault with the decision to recover the debt, but we have found fault with the lack of information provided to Mr C about the debt before it sent a summons and when he disputed it. This resulted in two summons being sent without explanation for the debt, which caused Mr C distress. The Council also delayed in responding to Mr C’s stage one complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr C, pay him £250 and improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind staff in the case of historic debts, that the officer will review the circumstances and attempt to make contact with the liable party (by email, telephone or letter) so they can clarify the reasons for pursuing the debt and the officer will record notes of any discussion. Officers will then take appropriate action which may include withdrawing the summons and costs and allowing the liable person to make a payment arrangement.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 014 372)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Miss B complained that the Council kept closing her housing applications. We found that the Council failed to clearly communicate the consequences of not providing supporting documents with her initial housing application, which led to its closure. The Council then closed the next two applications Miss B made, without properly explaining why it had done so. This caused Miss B avoidable frustration and inconvenience and delayed her ability to join the housing register. The Council has agreed to assesses Miss B’s application, and if she qualifies, it backdates her award date. The Council will also apologise, make a symbolic payment to Miss B and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    •Provides further guidance to its staff about the information to provide in closure letters. It must ensure the letters specify exactly what information the applicant needs to provide. Where an applicant has provided financial records but more evidence is needed, it should not just list the financial documents applicants need to provide; it should explain why the evidence they have already provided does not meet the Council’s requirements.•Reviews 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 the applicant has provided the documents listed in paragraph 2.2.3 of the Council’s housing allocation scheme.•Resolves the technical issue which results in blank attachments being sent to housing applicants.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 014 164)

    Category: Housing Date: 15-Sep-2025

    Summary

    Miss B complained about the Council’s decision to close her housing application as incomplete. We find that the Council was wrong to close Miss B’s application because she had provided all the required information. This caused Miss B unnecessary frustration, worry and inconvenience. The Council has already apologised to Miss B. It has also agreed to make a symbolic payment to Miss B, backdate her registration date and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to amend its procedures to ensure officers are aware that documents other than utility or council tax bills can be used as proof of address, and of the circumstances when less than three months of bank statements should be accepted.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 014 063)

    Category: Housing Date: 16-Jul-2025

    Summary

    Mr B complained the Council failed to remedy damp and mould disrepair issues with his temporary accommodation, despite him regularly reporting his concerns to it for over a year. The Council was at fault for its delays in carrying out the repairs, carrying out an inspection, and making a new suitability decision; not treating Mr B’s repeated contacts as a trigger for a review of suitability; and not moving Mr B to a different property when the service co-ordinator decided he needed to be urgently rehoused. Because of the fault, Mr B suffered distress and frustration, and he remained living in poor conditions with his family for longer than they should have. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mr B, make a symbolic payment, and issue staff briefings.

    Service improvements

    The Council will identify and implement learning from this complaint to improve the time taken by the Council to address significant repairs. This will help to ensure similar failings do not happen in future and significant repairs are addressed by the Council in a timely manner.The Council will remind relevant staff of the Council’s duty to carry out an inspection when concerns about a property are raised by a service user. This will help to ensure inspections are not missed and property concerns do not go under the radar and be left unaddressed by the Council.The Council will remind relevant staff of the Council’s duty to keep suitability under review, and recognise the types of communications from service users which should trigger the Council to carry out a review of suitability. This will help to ensure suitability reviews are carried out when necessary.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 274)

    Category: Education Date: 06-Aug-2025

    Summary

    Ms X complained, on behalf of Mr Y, that the Council delayed completing the annual review of Mr Y’s Education, Health and Care Plan and delayed providing the provision in his post Tribunal Education, Health and Care Plan. This meant Mr Y missed out on getting provision he should have received. Ms X also complained about the Council’s complaint handling. We found the Council at fault for the time it took to issue a final Education, Health and Care Plan for Mr Y after the Tribunal and for its complaint handling. To remedy the injustice caused the Council agreed to apologise, make a payment to Ms X and Mr Y and carry out a service improvement.

    Service improvements

    The Council should consider why, in this case it took so long to issue a final Education, Heath and Care Plan after the Tribunal’s decision and what it can do to ensure it complies with orders, within the relevant timescales, from the SEND Tribunal. The Council should report back to the Ombudsman with the changes and improvements it intends to make to its service.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 261)

    Category: Housing Date: 28-May-2025

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the Council’s decision to close the housing application made by his sister, Mrs B. We find that the Council wrongly decided Mrs B’s application was incomplete, despite her submitting all the required evidence. This caused avoidable frustration for Mrs B and delayed her ability to join the housing register. The Council has agreed to assess Mrs B’s application and backdate her award date if she qualifies to join the register. It has also agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment to Mrs B and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review the documents required for new applicants and existing tenants, ensuring that applicants are not asked to provide unnecessary evidence.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 will not consider applications to be incomplete when the applicant has provided the documents listed in paragraph 2.2.3 of its housing allocation scheme.The Council has agreed to consider amending its procedures to give applicants additional time to submit missing documents before their application is closed, 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.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 203)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Jul-2025

    Summary

    The Council was at fault in how it decided whether to arrange alternative education provision for Mrs X’s child, W. This caused Mrs X frustration, uncertainty and frustration and meant W missed out on two terms of provision. To remedy their injustice, the Council will pay Mrs X a total of £1350 and apologise to her. It will also issue a reminder and clarification to staff so the fault does not happen again.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind officers they must consider whether the Council should arrange alternative provision for a child not in full-time education whenever they receive significant new information. They must keep a record of that consideration as without it, the Ombudsman may not be persuaded the Council properly considered whether it owes the child the duty to arrange alternative provision.The Council will clarify to officers that the Department for Education guidance on alternative education provision says councils should arrange provision when it is clear a child will be out of school on health grounds for 15 days, consecutively or cumulatively, over a school year.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 188)

    Category: Housing Date: 09-Jun-2025

    Summary

    Miss B complained about the Council’s decisions to close her housing applications. The Council failed to specify which documents she had not provided with her applications which caused avoidable frustration for Miss B. The Council also failed to make enquiries when Miss B was threatened with homelessness. This resulted in her not receiving the housing support she needed, which caused her unnecessary distress. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment to Miss B and take steps to improve its processes.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind relevant staff that it must make enquiries when someone contacts it seeking accommodation and gives ‘reason to believe’ they ‘may be’ homeless or threatened with homelessness. The person does not have to complete a specific form or approach a particular department of the Council.

  • Birmingham City Council (24 013 128)

    Category: Housing Date: 11-Aug-2025

    Summary

    Ms B complained that the Council failed to consider evidence she provided to support her request for additional priority on the Council’s housing register. We find the Council failed to properly assess her housing needs. This caused Ms B frustration and inconvenience, as well as uncertainty about whether she could have moved to suitable accommodation by now if there had been no fault. The Council has agreed to carry out a proper assessment, apologise and make a payment to Ms B. It has also agreed to make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    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.

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