Service improvements

Leeds City Council

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 1 - 7 of 7 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for Leeds City Council as a CSV file.

  • Leeds City Council (25 026 043)

    Category: Education Date: 27-Jul-2026

    Summary

    There was fault by the Council in failing to establish, and keep under review, the legal basis on which Y was attending alternative provision. This meant the Council failed to consider if it was responsible for providing free transport to facilitate Y’s attendance. This caused injustice to Ms X who had to transport Y to the placement. The Council has agreed to refund expenses, reassess transport eligibility and make service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will advise the Ombudsman of improvements it has identified are required to strengthen joint working arrangements when a pupil with SEN is required to attend alternative provision and transport may be required to access the setting.The Council will ensure that when it becomes aware that a pupil is not attending school fulltime it keeps clear records to show how it has considered whether its s.19 duty is triggered, the outcome of the decision, and provides the parent with a written decision.The Council will review its transport policy, and training for transport officers, to ensure that whens.19 education is arranged for a pupil their eligibility for transport is considered.

  • Leeds City Council (25 021 128)

    Category: Education Date: 14-May-2026

    Summary

    We have found fault in the way the Council considered Ms X’s application for post-16 transport and in how it applied its own policy. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment to recognise time and trouble, to retake the decision, and to make service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will consider if it needs to provide decision makers with updated guidance or training to ensure they are considering applications on a case-by-case basis, exercising discretion to issue council organised transport where appropriate criteria is met, and recording its reasons correctly. The Council should share details of the action it decides is required with the Ombudsman.

  • Leeds City Council (25 018 700)

    Category: Education Date: 17-May-2026

    Summary

    There was fault in the way the Council considered Mr X’s application for post-16 transport and in how it applied its own policy to consider whether the expectation placed on parents to facilitate transport was ‘reasonably practical’. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a symbolic payment to recognise Mr X’s time and trouble, to take the decision again, and make service improvements. The complaint is upheld.

    Service improvements

    The Council will consider if it needs to provide decision makers with updated guidance or training to ensure they are considering applications on a case-by-case basis, exercising discretion to issue council organised transport where appropriate criteria is met, engaging with individual circumstances raised, and recording its reasons correctly.

  • Leeds City Council (25 015 150)

    Category: Education Date: 28-Jun-2026

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s actions when her child stopped attending school in January 2025. We have not investigated Miss X’s complaint regarding the Council’s failure to consider its section 19 duties or its failure to secure the special education provision, this is because these matters are premature. We found no fault in the way the Council reached its decision to refuse the elective home education (EHE) request. However, we found fault in delays considering the EHE request, delays and errors in the complaint process, failures to properly oversee and complete the annual review process within statutory timescales, and delays issuing the final amended EHC Plan, which caused Miss X avoidable distress, uncertainty, frustration, time and trouble, and delayed her right of appeal to the Tribunal. We recommend the Council apologises, makes a payment to Miss X, and takes action to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to create an action plan which sets out how, in future, it will avoid similar failures to ensure that annual reviews are held on time and finalised within statutory timescales.

  • Leeds City Council (25 010 448)

    Category: Transport and highways Date: 31-May-2026

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s failure to follow the right process when introducing new double yellow lines in her area. She also complained about the Council’s failings when responding to her complaint. We found fault with the Council’s consultation process and complaint handling. The Council’s fault caused injustice to Miss X. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X, arrange a site visit and present a report to the Chief Officer for Highways and Transportation. The Council has also agreed to tell us how it will improve its complaint handling.

    Service improvements

    We publish the Complaint Handling Code which sets out best practice in how councils should deal with complaints. In this case, we found the Council at fault because it delayed responding to the complaint and failed to do what it had said it would do. In order to prevent similar faults from happening in future, the Council should consider our guidance and tell us what action(s) it will take to improve the way it deals with complaints.

  • Leeds City Council (25 009 575)

    Category: Planning Date: 28-Apr-2026

    Summary

    Miss X complained about the Council’s delay and poor communication in dealing with her report of a breach of planning control. We found no fault in the Council’s enforcement investigation but it had fallen below acceptable administrative standards in communicating with Miss X. To address the avoidable distress this had caused, the Council agreed to apologise to Miss X and make a symbolic payment. The Council also agreed to review how it communicated with people reporting an alleged breach of planning control.

    Service improvements

    The Council agreed to review its planning enforcement practice and procedure for communicating with people reporting an alleged breach of planning control to ensure they are given a direct link to the planning enforcement information, including the Enforcement Plan, available on the Council’s website and clear and consistent information about the level of contact they may expect to receive from the Council during a planning enforcement investigation.

  • Leeds City Council (25 006 105)

    Category: Education Date: 12-Apr-2026

    Summary

    The Council delayed completing Miss X’s child, Y’s Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment in line with statutory timescales. It delayed deciding whether to issue Y with an EHC Plan within the statutory timescales, caused by a 34 week delay in obtaining Educational Psychologist advice. It then further delayed issuing Y’s final EHC Plan by 42 weeks after it received the EP advice. The Council was also at fault for failing to maintain oversight of Y’s alternative provision arrangement between 2023 and 2025. These faults caused Miss X and Y distress and delayed Y’s access to the specialist provision and placement specified in the final Plan by two terms. The Council agreed to apologise and make a payment to recognise the injustice the faults caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will complete an action plan to ensure it has sufficient processes in place to maintain oversight of children out of school receiving alternative provision. The action plan should ensure the Council has processes in place to maintain regular communication with both the provision and parents and ensure provision is reviewed for its suitability.

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