London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 004 665)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 01-Apr-2024

Summary: Ms X complains the Council placed her family in unsuitable accommodation and delayed addressing her complaint. We find fault which caused Ms X avoidable inconvenience, distress and frustration. The Council should apologise and make symbolic payments to Ms X to reflect the injustice caused.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 010 342)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 08-Apr-2024

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council has declined to reimburse her for the cost of therapies she sourced privately to ensure the delivery of the provision set out in her son, Y’s, Education and Health Care Plan. We have found fault by the Council with the annual review process, review of therapies provision and handling of Mrs X’s complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a financial payment to remedy the injustice caused to Mrs X.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (21 014 731)

Statement Upheld Other 10-Apr-2024

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council restricting his contact with his grandchild or that it stopped him from becoming their connected carer. There is not enough evidence of fault in how the Council considered his complaint to justify our involvement. The Council has accepted there were delays in its complaint handling. It has agreed to pay Mr X £200 to remedy any injustice caused. Further investigation by the Ombudsman would not be proportionate.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 014 425)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 15-May-2024

Summary: The Council delayed carrying out an Education, Health, and Care needs assessment and issuing an EHC plan for Mr X’s child, Y which caused distress to the family. We are satisfied with the service improvements already being carried out by the Council to resolve this issue. The Council will apologise and make a payment to recognise the personal injustice to Mr X and Y.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 009 253)

Statement Upheld Antisocial behaviour 19-May-2024

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council failed to conduct an anti-social behaviour case review correctly. She also complains the Council communicated poorly and did not properly consider her requests for reasonable adjustments. We have found the Council at fault for not properly documenting the decision-making at the anti-social behaviour case review meeting and for failing to provide Mrs X with a proper right of appeal. We also found the Council at fault for its communication with Mrs X. We have made recommendations to remedy the injustice these faults caused. We have not found the Council at fault for how it considered Mrs X’s requests for reasonable adjustments. We have also not found the Council at fault for restricting Mrs X’s ability to provide supporting evidence.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 013 975)

Statement Upheld Parking and other penalties 19-May-2024

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s parking permit renewal process. She said the Council took payment but then said her permit was cancelled. The refund the Council offered, and an apology is a suitable remedy.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 005 243)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 20-Jun-2024

Summary: Mrs C complains about the way the Council dealt with Mr B’s homelessness. She complains it did not consider his vulnerability or ask about how his disability might affect his communications with it. It gave him wrong advice about his ability to afford accommodation. It offered him a property, which it withdrew, and then told him he needed to move to another city. And later it said it did not owe him any duty. Our decision is there was fault by the Council. The Council has agreed to our recommendations.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 017 249)

Statement Upheld School transport 30-Jun-2024

Summary: Mrs B complained that the Council refused her application and appeals to provide transport for her son to attend college. We have found fault with the process. The Council has agreed to carry out a fresh stage two appeal, apologise to Mrs B and pay her £300 and to improve its procedures for the future.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (23 018 262)

Statement Upheld Charging 25-Jul-2024

Summary: Ms X complained the Council billed her daughter for £20,000 in care charges for the time she spent in supported living from 2015 to 2022. Ms X says her daughter cannot manage her own finances and it failed to tell Ms X about the care charges. The Council has accepted fault for failing to complete a capacity assessment of Ms X’s daughter or keep either Ms X or her daughter suitably informed about care charges. The Council has offered to remove £15,339.64 worth of care charges from 2019 to December 2022. This is a suitable offer to reflect the fault. The Council also agreed to apologise to Ms X for delays in confirming the care charges owed from January 2023 to June 2023 and offer a payment arrangement to repay this balance owed.

London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (24 004 461)

Statement Upheld Parking and other penalties 05-Aug-2024

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council handled a telephone call about a penalty charge notice. We are satisfied with the actions already undertaken by the Council in response to the complaint.