Service improvements

London Borough of Camden

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024

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 - 10 of 13 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for London Borough of Camden as a CSV file.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 007 708)

    Category: Housing Date: 28-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained the Council failed to promptly make decisions and communicate with her properly when she was homeless due to fleeing domestic abuse. Ms X also complained the Council failed to provide her with interim accommodation. The Council was at fault. These faults have caused Ms X distress, frustration and uncertainty regarding whether she could have accessed accommodation sooner than she did. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Ms X £700 and carry out service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to remind its housing staff that where they decide to depart from a legal duty, such as treating an applicant as not in priority need for housing when it has reason to believe they are, that it send this decision to the applicant in writing and seek their agreement.The Council has agreed to remind its housing staff to record notes from its phone conversations with housing applicants on the same day as the conversation occurs to ensure reliability.The Council has agreed to demonstrate it has taken steps to improve its capacity to respond promptly to homeless applicants and ensure it does not miss important information through messages.The Council has agreed to demonstrate that it has looked into what led to its delays in the following areas and considered how to prevent these occurring in future:• processing the initial homelessness application;• deciding it owed a relief duty; and• deciding it owed a main housing duty.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 007 488)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Feb-2024

    Summary

    There was no fault in how the Council decided the priority points award on Mrs K’s housing application. It properly considered her medical information in accordance with its policy. The Council delayed excessively in reviewing its decision. This caused Mrs K distress and uncertainty. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice.

    Service improvements

    The Council will review how it deals with requests to review housing priority decisions. It should provide an updated action plan showing the actions it is taking to reduce delays and how this will be monitored.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 006 728)

    Category: Housing Date: 07-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with his housing allocation. We find the Council at fault for incorrectly backdating Mr X’s waiting time points and for failing to carry out a review of Mr X’s medical needs. We recommend the Council apologise to Mr X, progress his application, make a payment to recognise the injustice caused and act to prevent recurrence.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review its housing allocations process to ensure measures are in place for progressing medical assessments in a timely manner and for ways to deal with any delays.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 005 209)

    Category: Other Categories Date: 25-Mar-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complained about the way the coroner’s office handled the investigation of the death of her son. Most of the complaint is not within our jurisdiction but there was fault by the Council in how it responded to the complaint.

    Service improvements

    The Council should review the information it provides in response to complaints that are not covered by its complaints procedure to ensure it provides an adequate and accurate response.

  • London Borough of Camden (23 003 910)

    Category: Housing Date: 08-Jan-2024

    Summary

    Ms X complains that the Council wrongly refused her applications for the housing register. The Council is at fault at it did not provide sufficient information to Ms X on how she could seek a review of its decision in 2023 that she was not eligible to join the housing register. This caused uncertainty to her. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice by apologising to Ms X and giving her the opportunity to seek a review of its decision.

    Service improvements

    Review its template letters for housing register application decisions to ensure the Council provides a clear explanation of how applicants can seek a review of those decisions and to ensure the letters comply with the requirements set out in paragraph 5.23 of the statutory guidance.

  • London Borough of Camden (22 016 407)

    Category: Transport and highways Date: 06-Sep-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complained about the way the Council handled a penalty charge notice and her appeal. She complained the Council refused to allow her to complain over the phone, which breached its equality duty, and it responded to her complaint poorly. Ms X said this caused physical pain due to her disabilities because she had to put her complaint in writing. We find the Council at fault, and this caused Ms X injustice. We are satisfied that the Council has already apologised. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Ms X to reflect the injustice, and make improvements to its service.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind staff in its call centre(s) that: they should signpost people to the corporate complaints procedure if they think the service user might have a complaint;they should ask if that service user needs any reasonable adjustments in order to make their complaint; and,that the Council’s equality duty is anticipatory: staff should not wait for the person to ask for a reasonable adjustment.

  • London Borough of Camden (22 016 404)

    Category: Housing Date: 14-Sep-2023

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for poor communication, delay accepting homelessness duties, and providing unsuitable B&B accommodation to Ms X when she was homeless with her young baby. The Council has agreed to apologise, make payments to Ms X, and act to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with staff in the relevant departments to identify learning from this complaint.The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that even where it must rely on B&B to meet its accommodation duty, it should consider and record whether particular applicants need accommodation in or near the borough for it to be suitable.The Council has agreed to ensure it tells homeless applicants in short-term B&B placements who need to move to another hotel where they will be going with at least 24 hours’ notice.The Council has agreed to identify a means of ensuring oversight of the relevant dates and deadlines of a homeless application, including when the 56-day relief period will end and a main housing duty decision is due.The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant staff on the circumstances in which the Council has a duty to protect the property of a homeless applicant.

  • London Borough of Camden (22 012 415)

    Category: Housing Date: 07-Jun-2023

    Summary

    Mrs X complained the Council did not award enough points for overcrowding on her housing register application. The Council awarded points in line with its housing allocation scheme. However the Council was at fault for the delay in issuing its review decision and for not explaining the information it relied on when it made that decision. The Council will apologise to Mrs X for the frustration caused and review its process.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind all relevant officers the need to ensure housing register decision letters explain what information was considered and the reasons for the conclusions reached.

  • London Borough of Camden (22 011 895)

    Category: Housing Date: 16-Jul-2023

    Summary

    Ms X complains about how the Council dealt with her application for the housing register. The Council is at fault as it did not respond to Ms X’s request for the Executive Director to consider if she had exceptional circumstances and failed to tell her that it would not consider her complaint. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice to Ms X by sending a written apology, making a symbolic payment of £200 to acknowledge the distress caused and considering whether Ms X has exceptional circumstances to join the housing register.

    Service improvements

    By training, or other means, remind officers of the provisions of its complaints procedure and that complaints about statutory reviews, such as eligibility for the housing register, will not be considered through the complaints process.

  • London Borough of Camden (22 011 889)

    Category: Environment and regulation Date: 17-Sep-2023

    Summary

    Mr X complained about insufficient action taken by the Council regarding concerns he raised about anti-social behaviour near his property. We have concluded our investigation having made a finding of fault. Whilst I acknowledge the Council considered Mr X’s case and took steps to resolve his concerns, the Council failed to keep Mr X sufficiently updated nor did it provide him with information about the Community Trigger Process. The Council have agreed to our recommendations.

    Service improvements

    The Council will consider the appropriateness of whether to provide information about the Community Trigger process on its online support for anti-social behaviour. The Council will provide the Ombudsman with an outcome of its review and its reasons for any decision it makes.

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