Devon County Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
83% Complaints upheld by Devon County Council
83% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
68 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Devon County Council's population, this is
8.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 82 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by Devon 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 64 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
3% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Devon County Council
In 3% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 7% in similar authorities.
2 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 68 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 Devon County Council
A teenager with Autism and ADHD was less than a week away from being made homeless because Devon County Council had not decided where he should live when he became 18.
Devon to review benefits calculations for nearly 300 carers following Ombudsman’s investigation
Devon County Council has agreed to look into how it calculated allowances to nearly 300 families who look after children as special guardians, following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Devon teen missed out on education because of council delays
A Devon teenager with special educational needs has missed out on nearly a year’s education because the county council did not plan for her to move schools when she finished Year 11, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Elderly nursing home resident forced to move because of funding blunders
A Devon centenarian was threatened with eviction from her nursing home because of unpaid fees, despite both her family and the council paying for her care.
Greater consideration of Armed Forces Covenant needed by local authorities, Ombudsman warns
It’s not enough for councils just to pay lip service to the Armed Forces Covenant, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has warned.
Devon teenager’s future education uncertain after county council fails to follow own procedures
Devon County Council denied a teenager with severe disabilities a place at a specialist college because officers failed to follow the proper procedure, an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has found.
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: 24 008 518
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Transport
- The Council will provide staff training or a briefing paper to officers responsible for making blue badge decisions. The officers should be reminded of the requirements in the current guidance, specifically around walking distances and hidden disabilities.
Case reference: 24 007 318
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Disabled children
- Remind all relevant staff who deal with statutory children’s complaints about the Council’s, and individual officer’s, duties at each stage of the statutory children’s complaint process. These are set out in the statutory guidance, ‘Getting the Best from Complaints’.
Case reference: 24 003 469
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- Provide us with an explanation about how it will ensure that open cases will be reallocated and progressed when social care workers are absent for more than a month.
Case reference: 24 002 702
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council agreed to consider what measures it will put in place to ensure children with Speech and Language provision in an Education Health and Care Plan receive that provision while on a waiting list to be assessed by an NHS therapist.
Case reference: 24 002 562
Category: Transport and highways
Sub Category: Traffic management
- The Council will collect information to consider if HGVs using the route complained about impacts on other road users, including pedestrians, bikers, and horse riders. The Council should record this in writing.
- The Council will seek advice from highways, legal and planning departments and consider if and what action is required. The Council should record the decision and reasons in writing.
Case reference: 24 000 810
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will review how it manages and has oversight of Education, Health and Care Plan mediation requests to ensure they are responded to within the timescales set out in law.
Case reference: 24 000 238
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an update on its recruitment of Special Educational Needs and Disability staff and case officers and explain how it intends to reduce delays in issuing final Education, Health and Care Plans after it has received Educational Psychology advice.
Case reference: 23 021 501
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council has agreed to take relevant action to ensure staff respond to parent’s and school’s concerns in a timely manner.
- The Council has agreed to issue a reminder to staff about the Council’s legal duty to make sure the child or young person receives the provision set out in section F of their education, health and care plan.
- The Council has agreed to take action to ensure it has a mechanism in place to quickly investigate and act on complaints or concerns raised regarding education provision not being in place for a child or young person at any time.
Case reference: 23 020 985
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- The Council has agreed to provide evidence of the changes it has made to prevent other people being treated in the same way, and take action to ensure officers follow the principles of the Mental Capacity Act and take account of the Human Rights Act when necessary.
Case reference: 23 017 498
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind relevant Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) staff of the duty to arrange mediation meetings in line with legal timescales for disputes around Education, Health and Care Plans
- The Council will remind complaint handling staff to ensure all key points raised in a complaint are addressed in complaint responses.
Last updated: 4 April 2015