Essex County Council (23 018 738)

Statement Upheld Transport 18-Jul-2024

Summary: Ms B says the Council failed to properly consider her hidden disability when deciding a blue badge application. There was fault by the Council, but it has already remedied this, and it will consider a new application.

Essex County Council (23 013 906)

Statement Upheld Charging 25-Jul-2024

Summary: Ms X complained the Council charged her mother, Mrs Y, for care the family had been told was free of charge. We found fault as the Council failed to properly communicate when free care ended and chargeable care began or to communicate in a timely manner when Ms X challenged the charges. This caused avoidable distress and frustration for the family. The Council has already apologised and completed an appropriate remedy which Ms X and Mrs Y accepted.

Essex County Council (23 015 769)

Statement Upheld Other 06-Aug-2024

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council responded to a concern he raised in relation to his son, after a childcare arrangement broke down. There was no fault in the Council’s initial decision to take no action. It took a decision it was able to take and there is no obvious flaw in the way it made this decision. Nor was there any fault in how it carried out its duties as part of the child and family assessment process after it received more information. There was fault it delayed completing that assessment, and this delay caused Mr X an injustice. However, I find there is no significant unremedied injustice remaining.

Essex County Council (23 019 599)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 22-Aug-2024

Summary: Mrs Z, an advocate, complained on behalf of Miss X about the Council’s delay in reimbursing the costs she incurred educating her son, Y. We find the Council at fault for failing to keep proper records and for delaying the payment. This caused Miss X uncertainty, distress, and led to her falling into debt. The Council has offered to apologise and make a suitable payment to Miss X.

Essex County Council (24 004 268)

Statement Upheld School transport 14-Oct-2024

Summary: Ms X complained the Council delayed providing her child a travel pass which she had paid for. As a result Ms X had to take her child to school and was only able to use the travel pass for one of the eight weeks it covered. We have found the Council at fault, however it agreed to reimburse Ms X for her travel costs which remedies the injustice caused.

Essex County Council (24 010 438)

Statement Upheld Safeguarding 26-Nov-2024

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council delaying its safeguarding investigation into his wife Mrs X’s fall during a care home respite stay, delaying in giving him some documents, officers not replying to some contacts and not disclosing other documents to him. Investigation of the fall incident would not add to the Council’s investigation nor achieve a different outcome. There is insufficient unremedied personal injustice to warrant us investigating. It would be reasonable for Mr X to take the document disclosure issue to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Essex County Council (24 002 639)

Statement Upheld Transport 17-Jan-2025

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has failed to renew her blue badge despite her condition not changing. Mrs X says this has caused her distress. We have found fault in the actions of the Council for failing to advise why it could not accept information provided by Mrs X. The Council has apologised for this failing which is a suitable remedy.