Case Ref: 25 003 417 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council has agreed to consider what changes are necessary to ensure it keeps a complete and accurate record of all missed collections and recording how it responds to them.

Case Ref: 24 023 359 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council should produce an action plan to identify ways of:a) improving its assisted bin collection service for Ms Y; andb) ensuring all assisted collections on its crews’ routes are properly completed on each collection day.

Case Ref: 24 021 380 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• training or guidance for officers on progressing cases and when to close an investigation.

Case Ref: 24 013 493 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council failed to record its reasons for reducing a person's care provision, delayed reviewing the care plan and communicated poorly and unclearly with the person's relative regarding the cost of the care.In recognition of the Council's delayed care plan review in this case, it has agreed to consider what caused this delay and take action to prevent recurrence of this fault in future.
• In recognition of the Council's failure to explain its reasons properly for reducing the person's care package, the Council has agreed to remind officers that where the Council decides to change or reduce a person’s social care provision, it must record its reasons and considerations for doing this as part of its care plan reviews.
• In recognition of the Council's failure to properly communicate with the person's relative regarding the person's care charges, the Council has agreed to remind officers that where the Council makes changes to a person’s care contribution, it must demonstrate its reasons for this through an updated financial assessment and notify the person ahead of the changes being made.

Case Ref: 24 010 723 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to write to relevant staff to remind them of the low threshold that applies in deciding whether there is reason to believe a homelessness applicant may be in priority need for housing.

Case Ref: 24 008 640 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Within 3 months the Council will remind relevant officers to make contemporaneous notes especially when relating to telephone calls or meetings with applicants, and ask relevant officers to be clear as to what evidence is needed from people using its service. It will also make the decision letters clearer when referring to interim or temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 24 006 936 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council should remind officers of the importance of notifying homelessness applicants of the correct homelessness duty and ensuring the Council accepts and ends the correct duties at relevant times.

Case Ref: 24 009 126 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Disabled children

• The Council failed to properly explain its appeal decision in response to a request for a Blue Badge. The Council will demonstrate to the Ombudsman that it has taken action, including making changes to its appeal decision letter templates if needed, to ensure that officers deciding on Blue Badge applications and appeals clearly explain how evidence has been considered, the reasons for their decisions, and how their decisions have been made in line with the guidance.

Case Ref: 24 004 090 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council agreed to remind staff in its Adult Social Care service about the importance of taking proactive steps to consider suitable support at the earliest opportunity in cases where there are reports of domestic violence, to try to prevent the situation escalating.

Case Ref: 23 018 059 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• The Council will identify what steps it needs to take to ensure it has access to information relating to its actions and decision-making around a child's education when a member of staff leaves their role.