Case Ref: 22 013 242 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council has agreed to do a spot check on all of the recycling bins at the block of flats concerned, shortly after the recycling is collected. The Council has agreed to provide the Ombudsman with photographic, date-stamped evidence that all of the bins were fully and properly emptied. If the recycling bins have clearly not been fully and properly collected, the Council has agreed it will tell the Ombudsman what it plans to do to rectify this situation.
• The Council has agreed to remind all relevant staff in the departments involved here that they are to respond to complaints in line with its complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 22 012 408 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council has agreed to confirm that the improvements to its annual review procedure includes guidance to schools in ensuring clarity in the annual review reports and quantifiable recommendations, based on the available evidence. - within one month

Case Ref: 22 010 276 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will remind relevant officers of the need to share appropriate review rights with housing complainants. This will help to ensure people know of their right to request a suitability review of their current temporary accommodation.
• The Council will share the Ombudsman’s guidance on effective complaint handling with relevant officers so that complaints are handled in a clear, effective and timely manner. This will help to ensure that mistakes are apologised for and complainants know what to do if they remain unhappy.

Case Ref: 22 005 303 Category: Housing Sub Category: Other

• The Council will issue a briefing note to all housing staff, including managers, to remind them of the legal duties to protect someone's personal belongings regardless of whether or not it still owes a housing duty to that person. This briefing note should also remind staff of the Council’s policy on Discretionary Housing payments and how they can be used. The Council may wish to share this decision with all housing staff to illustrate the injustice that can be caused by failing to act in line with its duties, as well as what those duties are.

Case Ref: 22 000 409 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council agreed to review its working practices and procedures relating to document management and decide whether improvements are needed.

Case Ref: 21 010 549 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• A new procedure has been put in place to ensure care plan review requests are monitored.
• The Council will remind staff dealing with care plan review requests to properly communicate decisions in writing.

Case Ref: 21 001 004 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to review why: appointments were missed; it was slow to resolve the problem of lack of ventilation in the complainant's accommodation; it did not consider alternative options sooner than it did; earlier jobs raised were slow to be completed.

Case Ref: 20 014 372 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review the way in which it notifies applicants of nominations for, and offers of, accommodation. The Council’s correspondence with applicants should clearly identify where there the applicant is being made a direct offer, and the consequences of this, and alternatively, where they have been shortlisted, with other applicants and may not ultimately be offered the property.

Case Ref: 20 012 623 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Residential care

• The Council has agreed to ensure the Care Provider implements a system for storing residents’ belongings including an inventory and photographs

Case Ref: 20 012 387 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• By 17 December 2021, issue written reminders to relevant staff to: •Adhere to timescales set out in the complaints procedure and address the issues raised in the complaint. •Provide clear written advice to residents at the earliest possible opportunity about whether they are liable for council tax. •Ensure information from the housing department is passed promptly to the council tax department to avoid unreasonable delays in council tax billing.