Case Ref: 24 008 257 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind its SEND staff of its duty to ensure it issues decisions which always sets out appeal rights to parents and young people. This includes when requests for Education, Health, and Care needs assessment or reassessments are received, and a decision has been made.
• The Council will review the current staffing levels within its special educational needs team and how it allocates cases. This is to ensure it has sufficient staff available to respond to and action Education, Health, and Care plan assessments and annual reviews within the statutory timescales, including when existing staff leaves or are unexpectedly absent.

Case Ref: 24 002 513 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour

• The Council agreed to issue a reminder to all staff responsible for investigating complaints of potential statutory nuisance, on the importance of communicating the decision to end an investigation in writing. Also, to ensure that such decisions include reasons for ending the investigation.

Case Ref: 23 018 878 Category: Education Sub Category: Other

• The Council will review how it will ensure that adjudication letters are sent in line with the statutory complaints procedure.
• The Council has agreed to review how it will ensure that it considers our guidance on remedies for upheld complaints.

Case Ref: 23 014 021 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to review how it responds to reports of disrepair made by residents in temporary accommodation and remind its housing staff that this is an important part of keeping the suitability of the temporary accommodation it provides under review.

Case Ref: 23 013 891 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• Provide guidance to staff to ensure consent is obtained prior to being accompanied on visits to service users.

Case Ref: 23 007 100 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Highway repair and maintenance

• The Council will show the Ombudsman that it has reviewed its highways and maintenance policy, to demonstrate how it has considered its duties under the Equality Act 2010 and assessed risks to protected groups under that Act.

Case Ref: 23 006 249 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• We identified recurrent fault by the Council in failing to use the statutory complaints procedure for children’s social care services when it should have. The Council agreed to:ensure a copy of our final decision is considered by the relevant scrutiny committee and cabinet member; andshare a copy of our final decision with all staff dealing with complaints about children’s social care services, to discuss and identify learning.

Case Ref: 23 002 732 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Rights of way

• Provide guidance to its highways maintenance service contractor and Council staff handling complaints, regarding effective complaint handling, as listed on the Ombudsman’s website.

Case Ref: 22 010 094 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council agreed to review how it deals with planning casework information received and held on individual officers’ email accounts. The aim of the review being to ensure the Council has effective procedures for ensuring such information is: • quickly moved to the appropriate case record and so available to all relevant officers, and or • readily accessible should any officer leave the Council’s employment or be absent for any significant time.

Case Ref: 22 010 406 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council will remind staff:Of the Council's duty to make reasonable adjustments to a disabled person who would otherwise be placed at a disadvantage in accessing the Council's services.Where the Council does not consider a request to be reasonable, the Council should keep records showing clear consideration for how and why it made its decision.The Council should write to individuals to outline its decision, and reasons, on whether it agrees to the requested adjustments.