Case Ref: 22 013 110 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• Remind staff of the importance of retaining records to demonstrate how it has considered its general equality duty when making decisions and reviewing services.
• Remind staff that responses to Ombudsman enquiries provide all of the information requested and are checked for accuracy prior to issue.

Case Ref: 22 011 279 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Traffic management

• The Council will share the Ombudsman's guidance on effective complaint handling for local authorities with officers handling complaints. This will help to ensure complaints are dealt with in a clear and timely manner and ensure that the Council apologises when it has got things wrong.

Case Ref: 22 004 837 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council will explain to the Ombudsman the steps it has taken to, address issues with reporting missed collections, the incorrect closing of missed reports and prevent repeat practice of the issues that caused Mr X to complain to the Council and then the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 22 004 347 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council was at fault in the way a decision to approve a planning application was made. To avoid recurrence of the fault, the Council agreed to consider its working practices and procedures to ensure:case officer reports contain accurate and sufficient information that explains its processes and reasons; andit has adequate checking procedures to ensure information is accurate and adequate, before decisions are made.

Case Ref: 22 004 241 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should conduct a review of its procedures around spot purchases of provision of services where a child is receiving out of county provision. It should demonstrate to the Ombudsman that it has considered ways of ensuring that delays such as happened above do not occur again.

Case Ref: 22 003 404 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Friends and family carers

• The Council will hold regular workshops to ensure that social workers understand the difference between a private arrangement and when a child or young person has effectively been accommodated, even if a parent or guardian has not signed agreement; and that it holds a weekly panel meeting to review all arrangements where children are likely to be placed in to care to ensure that decisions are made in a timely manner and legal advice sought where necessary.
• The Council will remind relevant staff it should consider its discretion to consider all elements of a complaint under the children's statutory complaint procedure, particularly where a complainant is likely to be disadvantaged by using different complaint procedures.
• The Council will ensure relevant staff accurately record the time, date and content of phone calls with special guardians about financial matters.
• The Council will review its child protection conference policy and information leaflet and ensure they provide the same information about the appeals process, particularly who appeals should be made to in the first instance.

Case Ref: 22 002 603 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• Remind staff to adhere to the timescales set out in the Council’s household waste collection policy regarding missed collections,
• Remind staff that where service users cannot report missed collections online, reports of missed collections made via telephone or email are dealt with in line with the Council’s household waste collection policy.

Case Ref: 22 002 002 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will provide training / guidance to staff to ensure actions in mediation agreements are fully completed.
• The Council will provide training / guidance to staff to ensure compliance with the duty under s.42 Children and Families Act 2014 to secure special education provision in an Education, Health and Care Plan.
• The Council will provide training / guidance to staff to ensure where a child is unable to attend school that alternative provision under s.19 Education Act 1996 is full time unless there is clinical advice that less provision is appropriate and the reasons for part time provision is evidenced.

Case Ref: 22 001 485 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council should ensure the bailiffs are adequately trained in the correct enforcement procedure in relation to issuing a notice of enforcement at the correct address where there is conflicting information.

Case Ref: 22 001 295 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council should provide those involved in council tax complaint handling with training about how to investigate and respond to complaints.