Service improvements

Bury Metropolitan Borough Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023

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 1 - 10 of 15 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Bury Metropolitan Borough Council as a CSV file.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 011 825)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Jan-2023

    Summary

    The Council failed to carry out the agreed actions following an earlier investigation by us following a complaint from Mrs X about its failure to provide appropriate free transport to college for her son, Mr Y, an adult learner with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council has agreed to apologise for the additional injustice caused because of this failure to carry out the agreed actions on time, make a payment and complete the agreed actions.

    Service improvements

    The Council will revise the Education Health and Care Plan process to build in a trigger question for the caseworkers, so they share the transport policy during the assessment process.The Council will confirm when the revised post-19 Transport Policy will be finalised and approved by committee. This should be in place for the 2023/24 academic year.The Council failed to carry out agreed actions following an earlier investigation about its failure to provide appropriate free transport to college for an adult learner with an Education, Health and Care Plan. The Council will consider this decision at an appropriate committee or cabinet meeting to ensure its leaders are aware of the faults identified, the potential impact on adult learners, and can consider what actions are needed to prevent a future recurrence of its failure to act on our recommendations.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 009 666)

    Category: Children's care services Date: 28-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complains the Council failed to provide information about the threshold for a child in need assessment and has not been clear in its decision making about support for her child. Ms X also complains the Council failed to consider her complaint under stage two. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for failing to carry out its duty under the statutory complaints process. The Council has agreed to commission a stage two investigation and pay Ms X a financial remedy in recognition of the distress caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review how it ensures the Council is complying with the statutory complaints procedure where a stage two is requested.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 007 792)

    Category: Education Date: 28-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Miss C complained that after 2020 the Council failed to update her son’s Education, Health and Care Plan following annual reviews. We find the Council at fault for this failure and for a delay in answering her complaint. We consider these faults caused Miss C distress and caused her unnecessary time and trouble. The Council accepts these findings. At the end of this statement, we set out the action it has agreed to take to remedy that injustice and improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to ensure that an existing programme to improve data collection around Education, Health and Care Plans would include being able to identify cases where it has failed to meet the statutory four-week target to confirm the action it is taking following an annual review. Also, that it would have a policy to explain what action the Council will take when the target is not met; i.e. how it will escalate such cases for further action and by whom and so on.The Council agreed to introduce a policy (or amend any existing policy) to record where it has failed to meet its time target for responding to complaints about its special education needs service. This will cover how the Council will keep in touch with complainants where it misses the target and how it will escalate such cases to managers to ensure it sends a reply.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 007 591)

    Category: Education Date: 30-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mrs C complained the Council failed to provide a suitable education for her son when he stopped attending school in September 2021 because of his special educational needs. She also complained the Council delayed issuing her son’s Education, Health and Care plan and it delayed providing the provision in the plan. We find the Council was at fault as it delayed securing alternative provision. It also delayed finalising the Education, Health and Care plan and it delayed securing the provision in the plan. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address the injustice caused by fault.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware they must respond to complaints within the timescales set out in the complaints procedure. They should keep complainants updated if there are going to be delays.The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware they should arrange alternativeprovision for children who cannot attend school without unnecessary delay.The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they comply with the statutory timescales after an EHC needs assessment is requested.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 005 900)

    Category: Benefits and tax Date: 02-Mar-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained the Council has overcharged him Council Tax and failed to consider his appeals or application for a Discretionary Council Tax Reduction. We found fault with the Council for delaying its decisions on Mr X’s applications and appeals about his Council Tax. The Council agreed to provide Mr X with a list of information it needs and provide a decision on Mr X’s application and appeals. The Council also agreed to consider inserting timeframes into its Council Tax policies. The Council agreed to apologise to Mr X and pay him £500 for the avoidable distress, frustration and inconvenience caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will consider inputting timescales into its policies for completing consideration of applications and appeals relating to Council Tax. Namely, applications for single person discount and Discretionary Council Tax Reductions and appeals made to the Council about Council Tax.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 005 797)

    Category: Adult care services Date: 06-Dec-2022

    Summary

    Mrs Y complained about the Council’s decision to change her daughter Miss X’s care agency and failing to complete a financial assessment review when she requested one. This has caused significant stress to her and Miss X. We find fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to address this injustice.

    Service improvements

    Issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of:· Point 10.26 of the care and support statutory guidance which says Councils should not set arbitrary upper limits on the costs it is willing to pay to meet needs through certain routes. · Point 8.17 of the care and support statutory guidance which says Council’s should reassess a person’s ability to meet care costs at the request of the person.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (22 002 824)

    Category: Education Date: 08-Mar-2023

    Summary

    The complainant alleged that the Council failed to act properly when her daughter was out of education. We have found some fault by the Council in that it failed to provide alternative education and it failed to ensure its fair access panel decisions are properly recorded. This has caused an injustice to the complainant and to her daughter. We have recommended actions to remedy this, which the Council has accepted. Therefore, we are closing the complaint.

    Service improvements

    the Council will remind the home education team that, where it is considered home schooling is unsatisfactory, it should consider whether enforcement action should be taken to ensure the pupil's attendance at school, or consider whether it is necessary to provide alternative education under s19.the Council will ensure that minutes of Fair Access Panels are taken which properly record the rationale for its decisions.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (21 018 526)

    Category: Education Date: 13-Jun-2022

    Summary

    Mr X complained an appeal panel failed to properly consider his admissions appeal for his daughter, Y, leaving her without a school place. We find fault with the way the panel documented the consideration of Y’s appeal. The Council should apologise to Mr X and arrange a fresh appeal hearing to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Counci will remind the clerk of the importance of detailed and accurate record keeping of the appeal panel's consideration of any case.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (21 018 028)

    Category: Education Date: 16-Oct-2022

    Summary

    the Council is at fault in that it failed to properly complete the review of an Education, Health and Care Plan in March 2021. It also failed to make clear arrangements for Occupational Therapy provision following that review. These faults caused the complainant and her daughter injustice and the Council will take the agreed action to remedy this.

    Service improvements

    Tell us how it will/has updated its procedures for EHC Plan reviews arranged by the Council to ensure that the correct processes are followed including distribution of assessments and reports before the review meeting and writing to parents with the outcome and decision as to whether to amend or not amend the Plan according to the required deadlines for this.Tell us what steps it has taken to improve its record-keeping.

  • Bury Metropolitan Borough Council (21 016 266)

    Category: Education Date: 03-Jul-2022

    Summary

    Ms X complained about the outcome of her post-16 transport appeal. She said the panel failed to properly consider the evidence she provided. We found fault with the Council. The Council agreed actions to remedy the injustice to Ms X.

    Service improvements

    • Review its post-16 travel statement policy to ensure its appeal process is in line with statutory guidance and allows parents to make verbal representations to the appeal panel.• Review the format of its appeal decision letters to ensure it includes the information set out in (16).• Review how it records the stage two panel meetings to ensure there is a record of the panel consideration and decision making.• Review how it decides the amount of PTB to award where the parent/carer arranges a taxi service

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