Service improvements

London Borough of Croydon

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026

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 - 6 of 6 cases with service improvements

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

  • London Borough of Croydon (25 002 070)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Mar-2026

    Summary

    Mrs D complains about the handling of her homelessness application. I have found some fault by the Council including a failure to include medical needs information in the personalised housing plan. The Council has agreed to apologise to Mrs D and pay redress for avoidable time and trouble caused by delays and errors.

    Service improvements

    consider whether training or guidance is needed for officers about including medical and support information in personalised housing plans

  • London Borough of Croydon (25 001 720)

    Category: Housing Date: 27-Feb-2026

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for a four-month delay in carrying out an assessment after Mr X approached the Council as homeless. It also failed to provide interim accommodation whilst it carried out homeless inquiries and issue a main housing duty decision. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Mr X £1050 and review its procedures to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to create an action plan to address how it will reduce its delays in carrying out housing assessments.The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure it is communicating effectively with homeless applicants and sending key decision letters when it accepts or rejects a housing duty.The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure it is considering whether an applicant requires interim accommodation when it is making homeless inquiries and making a record of this decision.

  • London Borough of Croydon (24 022 233)

    Category: Housing Date: 13-Mar-2026

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for failing to provide interim accommodation or to accept the relevant homelessness duties when Miss X approached it for assistance when she was homeless after fleeing domestic abuse. This meant Miss X was left without accommodation for two months. The Council should apologise to Miss X and make a payment to acknowledge the distress and frustration caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council should provide evidence to the Ombudsman of the changes it says the housing service implemented to ensure vulnerable residents are supported through the online application process.The Council should provide training to housing service staff to ensure they understand the housing duties owed to someone fleeing domestic abuse.

  • London Borough of Croydon (24 007 257)

    Category: Housing Date: 12-Oct-2025

    Summary

    Mrs X complained about the Council’s failure to provide her with suitable accommodation. We found fault with the Council for the delay in offering Mrs X and her family alternative accommodation. We also found fault in the way the Council communicated with Mrs X and dealt with her complaint. The Council’s fault caused injustice to Mrs X and her family. The Council has agreed to apologise and make symbolic payments. The Council has already taken action to ensure no families with children are housed in accommodation with shared facilities. The Council is also improving its complaint handling. The Council has agreed some further service improvements.

    Service improvements

    The Council will remind its housing staff of the importance to regularly communicate with its service users and respond to any queries. The Council will provide the evidence that this has happened.

  • London Borough of Croydon (24 007 083)

    Category: Housing Date: 02-Apr-2025

    Summary

    We have found the Council at fault for failing to provide Miss X and her family with suitable accommodation for an extended period of time. This caused them avoidable injustice. The Council has agreed to remedy this injustice.

    Service improvements

    Show that it has reviewed and improved its complaint handling procedure and record keeping since 2023.Remind staff of the 6 week deadline for moving women who are pregnant and/or with dependent children out of B&B accommodation.

  • London Borough of Croydon (24 005 585)

    Category: Housing Date: 05-May-2025

    Summary

    Miss B complained that the Council mishandled her homelessness application. We have found the Council at fault for delays in processing Miss B’s application and providing inconsistent information. These faults caused Miss B uncertainty, distress and frustration. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss B, make a symbolic payment and complete service improvements to remedy the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council will issue a reminder to all its staff to remind them of the Council's duty to accept a homelessness application through any department.The Council will issue a reminder to all its staff of the correct process to follow when a member of any department has reason to believe a person may be homeless or threatened with homelessness.The Council will remind its housing team of the Council's complaint policy timeframes for issuing housing complaint responses.

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