London Borough of Croydon
Complaint overview
Between 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, we dealt with 218 complaints. Of these, 113 were not for us or not ready for us to investigate. We assessed and closed 69 complaints. We investigated 36 complaints.
More about this data
Complaints dealt with – the total number of complaints and enquiries considered. It is not appropriate to investigate all of them.
Not for us – includes complaints brought to us before the council was given chance to consider it, or the complainant came to the wrong Ombudsman.
Assessed and closed – includes complaints where the law says we’re not allowed to investigate, or it would be a poor use of public funds if we did.
Investigated – we completed an investigation and made a decision on whether we found fault, or no fault.
Complaints upheld – we completed an investigation and found evidence of fault, or the organisation provided a suitable remedy early on.
Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council – the council upheld the complaint and we agreed with how it offered to put things right.
Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations – not complying with our recommendations is rare. A council with a compliance rate below 100% should scrutinise the complaints where it failed to comply and identify any learning.
Average performance rates – we compare the annual statistics of similar types of councils to work out an average level of performance. We do this for County Councils, District Councils, Metropolitan Boroughs, Unitary Councils, and London Boroughs.
For more information on understanding our statistics see Interpreting our complaints data.
Complaints dealt with
Not for us
Assessed and closed
Investigated
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Complaints upheld
We investigated 36 complaints and upheld 32.
89% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 84% in similar authorities.
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for London Borough of Croydon's population, this is 8 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.
The average for authorities of this type is
9.1 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents. -
Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
In 4 out of 32 upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
13% satisfactory remedy rate.
This compares to an average of 12% in similar authorities.
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
We recorded compliance outcomes in 23 cases.
In 23 cases we were satisfied with the actions taken.100% compliance rate with recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
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
The Ombudsman has published the following reports against London Borough of Croydon
Find out more about reports
We issue reports on certain investigations, particularly where there is a wider public interest to do so. Common reasons for reports are significant injustice, systemic issues, major learning points and non-compliance with our recommendations. Issuing reports is one way we help to ensure councils are accountable to local people and highlighting the learning from complaints helps to improve services for everybody. Reports are published for 10 years.
Croydon woman’s back broken by home-help device when council withdrew care funding
A Croydon woman fractured her spine using a bed turning aid the NHS installed. The council thought this could replace paid care workers for overnight care, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Child at risk of gang violence because of council failings
A four-year-old child was placed at risk of gang violence because Croydon council did not do enough to check on them and their mother when their uncle was released from prison and allowed to live with them, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Croydon council fails to provide respite for disabled teen’s mum
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised London Borough of Croydon for failing to provide respite care for the mother of a disabled teenager because it would cost too much.
Vulnerable South London woman failed by organisations that should have helped
A vulnerable young woman trying to overcome severe mental health problems has been put at significant risk of self-harm, after the organisations which should have looked after her failed multiple times to provide specialist aftercare services.
Croydon council to review how it looks after overcrowded families following Ombudsman report
London Borough of Croydon has agreed to review its services to homeless families in temporary accommodation, after a mother had her complaint upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Council’s failure to pay agreed grant leaves family living on building site
A Croydon family was left to live on a building site for nearly two years after their local council failed to pay an agreed grant on time, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Croydon man not supported properly when he moved to new home
London Borough of Croydon did not do enough to support a man with Autism, and his mother who looked after him, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Councils urged to learn from Ombudsman investigation into child abuse complaint
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is urging councils to place children at the centre of decision making in cross border child protection cases, after a suicidal teenager was left without appropriate support when she reported serious sexual abuse.
Council ignores medical evidence when deciding man’s housing application
Croydon council failed to take into account a man’s life-threatening health conditions – despite receiving letters from his specialists – when it decided the type of homes he could apply for, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
London council leaves family in limbo without appropriate support
A young woman with life-limiting conditions has been unable to take part in some of her favourite activities for more than a year because London Borough of Croydon failed to support her and her father properly, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.
Grandmother left without respite for two years by London Borough of Croydon
A grandmother who was ‘stretched beyond maximum capacity’ after Croydon Children’s Services left her to look after her disabled grandson for two years without any respite, has had her complaints upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Service improvements
The Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation.
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.
The latest 10 cases are listed below – click ‘view all’ to find all service improvements.
Case reference: 24 009 654
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- The Council has agreed to take action to ensure: carer’s assessments are carried out in a transparent way; people are given an opportunity to correct any errors with their assessment; and any disputes over a person’s needs are addressed in the assessment.
Case reference: 24 009 003
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Charging
- The Council agreed to review its policy and practices around its use of approval panels for packages of social care. The review will:be undertaken by a senior Council officer;ensure the Council's policy, panel terms of reference and practices comply with the law and statutory guidance, including an emphasis on individual wellbeing and person-centred care planning, rather than financial considerations; andshare its report and any recommendations with the responsible elected member and/or scrutiny panel.
- The Council agreed to arrange training for all relevant adult social care staff (including managers) on the principles of person-centred care planning, offering choice ofc are home placements and the requirements for third-party top-ups.
Case reference: 24 007 083
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- 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.
Case reference: 24 005 585
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- 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.
Case reference: 24 007 428
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Domiciliary care
- The Council has agreed to work with Immaculate Healthcare Services and Supreme Care Services to ensure they understand their responsibilities to report safeguarding incidents when they occur;
- Take action to ensure officers involve people in reviews of their care needs.
Case reference: 24 006 542
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- By training or other means, remind officers that they should promptly assess the risk to applicants and decide without delay whether their accommodation remains suitable to occupy in the event they disclose they are at risk of domestic abuse.
- Ensure the Council has a process to identify and escalate complaints about homelessness and housing which have exceeded the corporate complaints procedure’s timescales for a response. This is to ensure the Council responds to complaints in accordance with the timescales set out in the Council’s corporate complaints procedure and without significant delay.
- Share the learning from this complaint with officers responsible for temporary accommodation and repairs in the Council’s interim and temporary accommodation, including accommodation procured from private landlords. This is to ensure officers are aware that the failure to respond to requests for service or questions may hinder the Council’s duty to provide suitable interim and temporary accommodation.
Case reference: 24 002 094
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind its special educational needs and disability staff to ensure decisions on whether to cease, maintain, or amend existing Education, Health, and Care plans are at all times issued within statutory timescales to parents. Including ensuring this is clearly recorded on the child’s or young person’s case record.
Case reference: 24 001 238
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Assessment and care plan
- The Council will remind social workers and managers in the adult social care team of the importance of keeping clear, complete and contemporaneous records of best interests meetings, including the matters considered, its decision-making process and the outcomes and actions.
Case reference: 24 001 095
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that homeless applicants who are not computer literate, are communicated with effectively either by using a postal address, or where the applicant has a representative, by sharing key decision letters with them.
Case reference: 23 020 130
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Looked after children
- The Council will issue written reminders to relevant officers to ensure they are aware they must have a coordinated approach to how they address complaints, especially when several departments are involved.
- The Council will issue written reminders to staff in the leaving care service to ensure they are aware they must put arrangements in place for checking suitability before a young person moves into a property.
Last updated: 4 April 2015