Case Ref: 22 012 922 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to review procedures to ensure officers give early advice about the need for applicants to provide supporting evidence for claims about household’s needs.
• The Council agreed to review procedures to ensure household needs are recorded on file so the information is accessible and visible to any other officer dealing with the case.
• The Council agreed to review how it assesses an applicant’s needs when providing temporary accommodation.The Council agreed to provide a copy of the banding reduction review outcome when completed.The Council agreed to review why it took five months to move the complainant after deciding the accommodation provided was unsuitable.
• The Council agreed to review procedures to ensure officers advise homeless applicants who already have secure accommodation about the implications this might have on rent and council tax.The Council agreed to ensure officers have clear guidance about providing consistent advice about whether to surrender a tenancy where a family has fled violence.
• The Council agreed to consider what action it can take to ensure the cause of delay under stage 2 of the complaints process is not repeated in future.

Case Ref: 22 009 442 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council has agreed to, by training or other means, remind staff of the importance of allocating and dealing with claimants’ applications in a timely manner.
• •review and ensure the Council’s correspondence to claimants is clear and not contradictory. For example, clearly communicate with claimants that the Council does not produce/issue revised bills and/or statements for council tax accounts that are in credit.

Case Ref: 22 008 058 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will provide evidence the Care Provider has completed the service improvements identified in its Stage Two response.

Case Ref: 22 008 123 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council has agreed to reflect on the issues raised in this decision statement and identify any areas of service improvement, particularly around communication with parents and delay in the EHCP process. It should also review its policies and procedures to ensure the Council retains oversight and responsibility for its duties to children unable to attend school.The Council should prepare a short report setting out what the Council intends to do to ensure similar problems not reoccur. This report should be sent to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 21 018 896 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to identify and implement a mechanism to ensure the Council checks SEN provision is in place following a phase transfer and/or issuing a new or amended EHC Plan.

Case Ref: 21 017 107 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council agreed to review its online guidance around pre-application advice for non-material amendment planning applications so it clearly explains what information applicants should provide so the case officer can provide informed advice. The guidance should also manage an applicant's expectations that any advice is not binding.

Case Ref: 21 015 811 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Within two months of my decision the Council should review its procedure to ensure there is a process in place to identify when production of an EHCP is approaching the 20 week date to ensure timescales are not breached.

Case Ref: 21 013 440 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council was at fault for not properly documenting or disclosing its decision-making when rejecting some applications for community funding. The Council has agreed to change its procedures, so its decision-making is clearly recorded and available to the public.

Case Ref: 21 011 798 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Noise

• The Council should remind officers of the need to follow its noise policy and issue case closed letters when appropriate.

Case Ref: 21 007 917 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• Formulate a plan as to how the Council will resolve outstanding planning enforcement matters,with expected timescales where possible so that there is no avoidable delay,and communicated this to the complainant.