Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
88% Complaints upheld by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
88% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.
23 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Bury Metropolitan Borough Council's population, this is
11.8 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 26 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
92% of cases were successfully implemented by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
92% 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 26 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
9% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
In 9% 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.
2 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 23 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.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against Bury Metropolitan Borough Council
Councils should remedy without delay – Ombudsman
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has been compelled to highlight two cases where a council has not acted to put things right in good time.
Councils urged to ensure complaints about contractors are handled properly
Councils need to assure themselves that complaints investigations carried out by their contractors are conducted rigorously, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) is advising.
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: 23 020 511
Category: Planning
Sub Category: Enforcement
- Consider what changes to practice and procedure are necessary to avoid delay in action and the failure to properly investigate planning enforcement complaints and planning enforcement enquiries in the future.
- Review its complaint handling procedure and explain what service improvements it will make to prevent similar occurrences. Any service improvements identified should ensure that complaints made to the Council are processed and responded to in line with its complaint policy.
Case reference: 23 018 631
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Council house sales and leaseholders
- The Council agreed to review why it did not provide an offer within 8 weeks of the Right to Buy application.
- The Council agreed to review why it failed to advise of the right to seek a remedy at court.
- The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to make and retain requests for advice and the advice received from the government Right to Buy Help Team.
Case reference: 23 017 296
Category: Environment and regulation
Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour
- Remind staff to consider reports of alleged anti-social behaviour in line with the Council’s wider anti-social behaviour powers, including the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, not just as part of a review of tenancy agreements
- Remind staff to signpost complainants to the anti-social behaviour case review process.
Case reference: 23 008 274
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- Review its processes for completing EHC Plan reviews and provide guidance and training to staff about the importance of adhering to the review timescales.
- Provide guidance and training to staff about its responsibility to provide education or training to 16 to 18 year olds.
Case reference: 23 004 633
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to remind relevant staff that while it can require schools to carry out annual review meetings for education health and care plans on its behalf, the Council is still responsible for ensuring that annual reviews are carried out.
- The Council agreed to remind relevant staff that, following an annual review of an education health and care plan, it must send is decision about the review within four weeks, even if it does not propose to make any changes to the plan.
- The Council agreed to review its requirements and guidance for schools which it asks to hold education health and care plan annual review meetings on its behalf. It should ensure that:schools properly consider and record all the relevant issues mentioned in statutory guidance, including preparing children for adulthood;any reports from meetings prepared by schools have sufficient information for the Council to make its decision about the review; andwhere it does not receive reports at the right time or if reports do not contain the required information, it raises this with the school in a timely manner.
- The Council agreed to clarify the information on its website about which of its services are and are not covered by the statutory children's complaints procedure, including complaints about education health and care plans.
Case reference: 23 002 318
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to share a copy of our decision with relevant staff across its Special Educational Needs (SEN) and Disability service. It will remind staff of the Council’s statutory duty to secure the SEN provision in a child’s Education, Health, and Care plan.
Case reference: 22 015 586
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council will remind relevant officers involved in education monitoring and support of the Council’s duties under law and statutory guidance to consider providing alternative educational provision when a child of statutory school age is out of school for health reasons or otherwise.
Case reference: 22 015 322
Category: Benefits and tax
Sub Category: Other
- The Council has agreed to provide guidance to relevant staff about the circumstances in which people fleeing domestic abuse can apply for assistance from the support fund.
- The Council has agreed to remind staff with responsibility for responding to complaints that complainants should be able to complain in private and that where the complaint concerns sensitive or personal details, such as of domestic abuse, distribution of the complaint and response should usually be kept to a minimum.
Case reference: 22 014 364
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Safeguarding
- The Council will ensure the Care Provider issues a reminder to all staff that family and other representatives must be kept updated and prescriptions should be collected in a timely fashion.
Case reference: 22 013 117
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council will remind staff they can issue final Education, Health and Care plans without parental agreement. This gives the parent the right to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disability tribunal to resolve any disagreement over the content of the plan.
- The Council will remind staff they must consider whether it owes a child the duty to arrange alternative provision when they become aware the child is out of education or not attending full-time.
- The Council will review the monitoring arrangements it has in place to assure itself that a) children are receiving appropriate alternative provision when they are not in school full-time and b) children receiving alternative provision who have Education, Health and Care plans are receiving the special educational provision set out in their plans. If the Council identifies any actions it needs to take to improve its practice, it will produce an action plan and send it to the Ombudsman.
Last updated: 4 April 2015