London Borough of Barnet
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
81% Complaints upheld by London Borough of Barnet
81% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
22 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for London Borough of Barnet's population, this is
5.7 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
8.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 27 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 London Borough of Barnet
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 99% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 25 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
9% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by London Borough of Barnet
In 9% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 12% in similar authorities.
2 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 22 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 London Borough of Barnet
Council wrongly instructed enforcement company to destroy fast food trailer
A Barnet street food trader has been left significantly out of pocket after the council wrongly instructed its nuisance vehicle enforcement company to destroy his pizza van when it was reported abandoned, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Barnet council fails to follow up on community centre noise complaint
Barnet council has been told to carry out more monitoring of excessive noise at a community centre in the borough following a second investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Ombudsman finds systemic problems with Barnet’s homelessness services during investigation
A homeless woman was turned away five times by the London Borough of Barnet after she lost her home, a Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) investigation 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: 24 007 569
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to consider all points raised in review and appeal requests and indicate how they were considered in the review or appeal decision.
Case reference: 24 002 893
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind officers dealing with EHC Plans of the need to ensure the provision in a final EHC Plan is in place when concerns are raised and that the provision cannot be changed without amending and issuing a final EHC Plan.
Case reference: 24 000 465
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Council house sales and leaseholders
- • Remind relevant staff of the importance of which Ombudsman scheme to signpost to at the conclusion of the complaints procedure.
Case reference: 23 020 077
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will provide staff training to relevant staff to remind them of the B & B accommodation six-week statutory limit for families, and the importance of placing families in suitable accommodation. This will help to ensure people are provided with suitable interim and temporary accommodation, and they do not remain in unsuitable accommodation for longer than they should.
- Review its procurement policy with the aim of reducing the use of B & B accommodation and increasing the supply of other types of interim and temporary accommodation. Progress on achieving this should be reported to the relevant Committee on a six monthly basis to ensure democratic oversight and accountability.. This will help to reduce the use of unsuitable B & B accommodation and ensure more suitable types of accommodation are available to people who need interim and temporary accommodation.
Case reference: 23 013 567
Category: Other Categories
Sub Category: Leisure and culture
- The Council has agreed to provide a copy of this decision statement to relevant officers to ensure they are aware of the Council’s responsibility to properly investigate complaints about bodies acting on behalf of the Council.
- When entering new lease arrangements, the Council has agreed to assess the review or appeal process used by the Association (and other allotment associations in its area) and:a) consider amending the Association’s formal agreements with both the Council and allotment tenants to refer to these processes;b) ensure any formal agreements reflect the fact the Council retains responsibility to ensure its statutory functions are carried out correctly; andc) ensure any review or appeal processes are written down and readily available to share should the need arise.
Case reference: 23 011 972
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- The Council will through a staff circular, team meeting or other method remind staff about:-a) the importance of providing people with a copy of the support plan promptly, and advising them of the need to discuss any changes to the support plan before reissuing;b) processing direct payments promptly;c) offer prospective recipients an alternative way to meet their needs if there is a delay in processing a direct payment.
- The Council will review the process followed from the point it agrees to a direct payment to its payment. This should identify how long it takes and what steps are required to ensure payments are made in a timely manner.
Case reference: 23 007 871
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- Enhanced Monitoring of School Provisions: Conduct a review with a view to implementing a system to monitor the implementation of provision. This is in line with the Ombudsman’s expectations from Council’s as per paragraph 14.
- Annual Reviews: Conduct a review with a view to implementing a system to monitor the timeliness of annual reviews where the process has been delegated to schools. This should ensure sufficient monitoring arrangements are in place to identify potential failings at the earliest opportunity.
Case reference: 23 000 040
Category: Benefits and tax
Sub Category: Council tax
- Remind all relevant staff of the need to inform all service users of their appeal rights.
Case reference: 23 008 954
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Charging
- The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure that when a service user or their representative asks about a retrospective CHC assessment, they should make the appropriate enquiries with the NHS department to see if this is a possibility.
Case reference: 23 007 775
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will remind those carrying out medical assessments of the need to ensure the applicant’s representations and medical evidence are addressed in the decision about what type of property is suitable.
- The Council should arrange for a training session for officers dealing with homeless applicants to cover:what the code of guidance and law says in relation to assessing homeless applications;how to assess whether it is reasonable for an applicant to remain living in their accommodation;when a prevention duty is owed;when a relief duty is owed;when interim accommodation should be considered;when any prevention duty, relief duty and PHP should be reviewed;a reminder of the need to issue decisions with appeal rights in writing; anda reminder of the need to ensure PHP's are completed.
Last updated: 4 April 2015