Cumbria County Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
84% Complaints upheld by Cumbria County Council
84% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.
21 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Cumbria County Council's population, this is
4.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
3.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 25 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 Cumbria County Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 17 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 Cumbria County 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 6% in similar authorities.
1 satisfactory remedy decision
Statistics are based on a total of 21 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 Cumbria County Council
No public reports published
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: 22 016 433
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Safeguarding
- The Council will remind all relevant staff members: of its duties to offer relevant assessments to people that have the appearance of need for care and support in its area;of its procedures and the action it should take when it receives a safeguarding concern about an adult; andto respond to complaints about its services in a timely manner and in line with its policies.
Case reference: 22 015 038
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council has agreed to, through its contract monitoring procedures, ensure the Care Provider is providing support to its residents in accordance with their care and support plans relating to nutrition, personal care and activities.
Case reference: 22 013 705
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- Review its record keeping procedures to ensure officers keep a clear record of their decisions about whether education provision is accessible to a child out of school and whether it owes a duty under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to make alternative education provision.
- Ensure officers notify parents/guardians in writing regarding of its decisions on whether education is reasonably accessible and whether it has a duty under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 to make alternative education provision.
Case reference: 22 010 820
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will remind relevant officers that stage 3 panels held under the childrens statutory complaints procedure should be conducted within 30 working days of the request, and if officer availabilty is causing delay, the panel chair has discretion to decide to proceed without them.
Case reference: 22 008 801
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- The Council will remind relevant staff that it has a duty to consider individual circumstances in deciding whether it has a statutory duty to provide alternative provision for children out of school due to illness, exclusion or otherwise.
Case reference: 22 006 918
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will review its arrangements for completing investigations at stage two of the children's statutory complaints procedure to ensure it has sufficient resources in place to comply with the statutory timescales.
Case reference: 22 003 251
Category: Transport and highways
Sub Category: Parking and other penalties
- Within three months of the final decision the Council should have guidance on how discretion is exercised, if none already exists.
Case reference: 22 001 452
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Charging
- The Council has agreed to provide evidence it has taken action to ensure officers deal withdecisions on deprivation of capital properly in future.
Case reference: 21 012 509
Category: Education
Sub Category: School transport
- Because of local government restructuring in the Cumbria region in April 2023, the Council will take the following actions to address the systemic issues this complaint identified: •review and amend that part of school transport policy which states it does not assess the safety of routes to pick up points. The Council should consider changes to the policy to ensure it complies with the statutory guidance and make clear that it will consider the suitability of arrangements for the entirety of the route to school including safety of routes to pick up points in future; and •share the learning from its review with the Chief Executives, Monitoring Officers and relevant Portfolio holders at Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness Councils
Case reference: 21 009 380
Category: Transport and highways
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will review its complaints procedure and resources to ensure a timely response can be provided at all stages and complainants are kept informed where this is not possible.
Last updated: 4 April 2015