Advice on comparing statistics across years

In 2022-23 we changed our investigation processes, contributing towards an increase in the average uphold rate across all complaints. Consider comparing individual council uphold rates against the average rate rather than against previous years.

In 2020-21 we received and decided fewer complaints than normal because we stopped accepting new complaints for three months due to Covid-19.

Birmingham City Council

Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics

  • Complaints upheld

    87% of complaints we investigated were upheld.

    This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.

    115 upheld decisions

    Adjusted for Birmingham City Council's population, this is
    9.9 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents
    .

    The average for authorities of this type is
    4.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.

    View upheld decisions

    Statistics are based on a total of 132 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

  • Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations

    99% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.

    This compares to an average of 99% in similar authorities.

    Statistics are based on a total of 107 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

  • Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council

    In 8% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.

    This compares to an average of 14% in similar authorities.

    9 satisfactory remedy decisions

    Statistics are based on a total of 115 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

    View all satisfactory remedy decisions

Annual letters

We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.

View annual letters

Public reports ?Find out more about public reports

In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following public interest reports against Birmingham City Council

Birmingham City Council has agreed to revisit the way it responds to complaints about respite care for children with disabilities after it wrongly told families to appeal to the Ombudsman.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is again having to report on Birmingham’s waste collection services after the council had made assurances things would improve.

A Birmingham man has been left in unsuitable temporary accommodation for eight years despite the city council knowing it did not meet his needs as a wheelchair user, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

Birmingham City Council will repay a city family more than 11 years of care home fees after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the family should never have been charged.

Councils administering Disabled Facilities Grants need to ensure their processes are transparent and accountable, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.

Bickering Birmingham bin workers have left residents in one city street having to return their heavy communal bins to the right place, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.

The high number of families trying to join councils’ housing lists is being highlighted by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman following one family’s complaint about their situation.

Birmingham City Council has agreed to revise its home to school transport policy and review all its decisions to issue a travel pass over the past three years following several complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Birmingham City Council considered allowing an 11 year-old girl to be deported during a dispute with her foster carers, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has discovered.

From repeated missed collections to failing to return vulnerable people’s bins to the proper place, Birmingham’s refuse service has been criticised in a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

A Birmingham mother had to drive five hours a day to take her adult son, who had ‘severe and critical needs’, to his specialist college, because Birmingham City Council did not provide him with transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) is urging councils to consider carefully the impact any school transport policy changes have on existing pupils after an investigation led to a boy having his free school travel pass reinstated.

A family, whose son with special needs was presenting very challenging behaviour, was left without support despite calling on Birmingham City Council for help, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has found.

13

Public reports for Birmingham City Council

View all

Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements

Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.

Case reference: 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 reference: 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 reference: 23 017 415

Category: Education

Sub Category: School transport

  • The Council will remind staff to provide tailored decision letters for school transport decisions that take into account the age category of the applicant and will ensure assessments consider hidden disabilities or SEN / behavioural difficulties that may affect walking as well as physical disabilities.

Case reference: 23 017 219

Category: Education

Sub Category: School transport

  • •Remind all officers who carry out transport appeal, and those who send decision letters of the requirement to consider all the evidence presented and properly record and evidence how it reached the decision, in line with statutory guidance.
  • •Arrange staff training for relevant staff on the Council’s duties set out in the statutory guidance. This training should also include awareness of SEN and disability. It should also include the need to take account of disabilities and the impact on the child’s health and safety, as well as mobility, when assessing school transport applications.

Case reference: 23 016 475

Category: Housing

Sub Category: Allocations

  • 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.

Case reference: 23 015 424

Category: Housing

Sub Category: Homelessness

  • 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.

Case reference: 23 015 394

Category: Transport and highways

Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

  • The Council will ensure that it shares this decision with relevant staff and remind them of the need to follow the complaints policy, and be clear in its correspondence with complainants about this.
  • The Council will ensure that it shares this decision with relevant staff dealing with vulnerable debtors, including those employed by its bailiff contractor. It should remind staff that it needs to consider vulnerability promptly and clearly coordinate action between the Council and the bailiff.
  • The Council will put into a written document its process for dealing with vulnerable debtors who owe money other than council tax, including when an account should be returned to it. The Council should ensure it shares this policy or process with relevant staff.

Case reference: 23 015 247

Category: Education

Sub Category: Special educational needs

  • Complete a review of the process around Tribunal outcomes, with a view to ensuring any decision reached by the Council is communicated by the deadline. The Council will provide the Ombudsman with the outcome of its review.

Case reference: 23 014 498

Category: Transport and highways

Sub Category: Highway repair and maintenance

  • The Council has agreed to ensure that signs A and B are in place on the local Public Right of Way.
  • The Council has agreed to develop an action plan on how it will manage sign replacement going forward. This should include how it will communicate about expectations and timeframes with Mr X and members of the public.

Case reference: 23 013 396

Category: Housing

Sub Category: Allocations

  • 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.

10

Service improvements agreed by Birmingham City Council

View all

Last updated: 4 April 2015

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