Case Ref: 24 016 625 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to remind relevant officers of the need to ensure there is a record of their decision on a medical assessment request from an applicant following a Medical Advisor’s recommendation.
• The Council agreed to establish why two online completed medical assessment forms were not actioned promptly when submitted and act to ensure the failures cannot be repeated on future cases.
• The Council agreed to establish why the statutory review request was not actioned and take steps to ensure this failing cannot be repeated on future cases.
• The Council agreed to carry out a review of the Panel’s decision.

Case Ref: 24 016 356 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council will remind relevant officers, via training or a briefing note, that where a needs assessment identifies support is required for attending medical appointments, it properly considers whether this is an eligible need under the Care and Support Statutory Guidance.

Case Ref: 24 014 229 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will send a reminder to officers dealing with homeless applications of the need to ensure when a homeless applicant raises concerns about the suitability of the property offered to them the Council follow the review process. That should include consideration of whether the review is out of time. The Council should then write to the person to explain its decision.

Case Ref: 24 013 692 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• improve logging and responding to complaints
• ensure housing solutions officers maintain contact with housing applicants

Case Ref: 24 011 887 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council should also remind its officers of the distinction between its duties under Part VI and Part VII of the Housing Act 1996.

Case Ref: 24 011 048 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council has agreed to review its quality control procedures to ensure officer’s reports are accurate and comprehensive.
• The Council has agreed to address the failings identified in this case with relevant officers and take steps to prevent future occurrences.
• The Council has agreed to consider increasing transparency in projects which could significantly impact residents, ensuring clear communication and consultation.

Case Ref: 24 010 877 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to review its processes to identify why it failed to make the decision that it did not owe the complainant the main housing duty sooner and take steps to ensure this failure cannot be repeated in the future.
• The Council agreed to remind officers of the need to explore, clarify, and act on contact from applicants which raises issues of suitability to establish whether they wish for a suitability review outside of the complaints process.
• The Council agreed to review why there was a delay responding to the complaint and act to ensure it cannot be repeated on future cases.

Case Ref: 24 008 943 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council was at fault for delays in reaching decisions on the complainant's application and for not offering interim accommodation. The Council has agreed to:provide guidance to relevant officers to ensure they decide whether to end the prevention duty after 56 days, and if so issue a formal decision with review rights;and to ensure they notify applicants if they decide the applicant is not homeless and set out their review and appeal rights.
• The Council has agreed to ensure referrals to the medical officer are made promptly on receipt of additional information which may affect an applicant’s homelessness status and priority need.

Case Ref: 24 008 364 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• Remind all officers who carry out transport appeals, and those who send decision letters, of the requirement to consider all the evidence presented and properly record and evidence how it reached the decision, in line with statutory guidance.
• Remind officers that applications on SEN /disability / mobility grounds must consider health, safety, sensory and behavioural difficulties and not just physical mobility problems when deciding if a child is able to walk to school.

Case Ref: 24 002 632 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• the Council has agreed to remind all reviewofficers to make sure they refer to the correct version of the housingallocations policy and not use out of date review letter templates