Cheshire East Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
73% Complaints upheld by Cheshire East Council
73% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 72% in similar authorities.
22 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Cheshire East Council's population, this is
5.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.7 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 30 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by Cheshire East Council
100% 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 21 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
5% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Cheshire East Council
In 5% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 13% in similar authorities.
1 satisfactory remedy decision
Statistics are based on a total of 22 detailed investigations for the period between 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
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.
Public reports ?Find out more about public reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following public interest reports against Cheshire East Council
Council did not consider exceptional circumstances when denying care payments to young disabled man
Councils must properly consider individual circumstances when they balance people’s choice to be cared for by a family member against the risk to their carer of working long hours, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has recommended.
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: 23 010 923
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to remind its staff, through appropriate training, of the Council's non-delegable duty to secure the Special Educational Needs provision set out in Section F of a child's Education, Health and Care Plan(EHC Plan).
Case reference: 23 008 396
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- This complaint was about a significantly disabled young woman with special educational needs who moved from a specialist school placement into supported living. The transition was too short and its impact worsened by poor communication between the Special Educational Needs and Disability department and the Adult Social Care department. The Council will review this complaint and identify what steps it should take to ensure the departments communicate effectively, particularly when a young person with an Education, Health and Care Plan is moving to an adult social care setting.
Case reference: 23 003 607
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind staff they must issue a decision to amend, maintain or cease a child or young person's Education, Health and Care Plan after an annual review meeting.
- The Council will remind staff they must complete amendments to Education, Health and Care Plans within the timescales set out in law, guidance and by caselaw.
Case reference: 23 003 097
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council will remind staff in the medical needs tuition team that when considering a referral for a child's tuition, the test they should apply is whether the child would receive a suitable education without the Council making arrangements.
- The Council should provide the Ombudsman with evidence it has completed the training programme for staff on the new alternative provision school referral process.
- The Council should remind staff that the recommendations they make for service improvements as part of complaint responses should be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited).
Case reference: 23 001 848
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council is already reviewing its process for carrying out Education, Health and Care plan reviews. It will provide the Ombudsman with details of that review, including the steps it is taking to ensure annual reviews are completed in line with statutory timescales.
- The Council will ensure that where officers from its Inclusion Quality team make observations about specific pupils with special educational needs, they will make a record for the child's case file.
- The Council's Special Educational Needs and Disability training manager will ensure learning from the case is included in the Council's rolling training programme, and particularly that the Council either arranges a review or ensures by some other means that it has full and up-to-date information about a child's needs before considering a change of placement request or consulting with alternative schools.
Case reference: 22 017 787
Category: Other Categories
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will check the heat pump in the Market and confirm it is working correctly and undertake any necessary remedial works if it is found to be defective.
- The Council will monitor the temperature in the Market for a period of six weeks to confirm it meets the guidance set out in the Approved Code of Practice on the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.
- The Council will review if any immediate action is required to improve the Market’s temperature including the maintenance of the air curtains, installation of thermometers, temporary heating fans and its remote temperature management system.
Case reference: 22 014 684
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will review its procedures to improve timeliness for Education Health and Care plan annual reviews and provide the Ombudsman with an action plan of any key actions it has taken or intends to take.
Case reference: 22 014 515
Category: Transport and highways
Sub Category: Highway repair and maintenance
- The Council agreed to remind complaint officers of the need to ensure new reports raised during the complaints procedure are referred promptly through to the appropriate department.
Case reference: 22 013 706
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Share learning from this decision with staff to ensure they are aware of the importance of issuing an EHC Plan within the required timescale following a SEND Tribunal order, and arranging the provision to start from the date the plan is issued.
Case reference: 22 013 136
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will share learning from this complaint with staff to ensure that when early reviews are held these are accompanied by clear timescales about next steps including when the Education, Health and Care plan will be updated with any new placement.
Last updated: 4 April 2015