Case Ref: 22 005 648 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to review its record-keeping to ensure it keeps complete records of all contact, action and decisions on housing applicant’s files.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that tenants waiting for a direct offer are regularly updated, and are not prevented from bidding without good cause.

Case Ref: 22 010 132 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• By training or otherwise, remind officers of the requirements of the enforcement plan to keep complainants informed of the progress and outcome of investigations.

Case Ref: 22 007 171 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council agreed to remind officers of the need to give landlords enough information about the lease renewal process and the reasons for any temporary delay with it.
• The Council agreed to remind officers of the importance of ensuring action promised in correspondence about lease renewal is carried out.

Case Ref: 22 003 918 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with staff in the relevant departments.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff about which Ombudsman to direct complainants to. It will provide training or guidance and amend any template letters or emails as appropriate.

Case Ref: 22 003 901 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will issue a memo to officers reminding them that where an applicant asks the Council to reconsider the suitability of their current temporary accommodation because of a change in circumstances, the decision must be put in in writing. This will allow the applicant to use the section 202 review procedure to challenge the Council’s decision if they disagree.

Case Ref: 22 002 937 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Pollution

• The Council agreed to identify why there: were delays amounting to a total of 12 weeks with issuing a notice and telling the complainant what it had done; was a failure to provide regular updates. It will act to ensure these are not repeated on future cases.

Case Ref: 21 016 534 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will provide guidance or training to relevant staff to ensure they consider whether an applicant may be homeless when they report domestic abuse, record how they consider this, and issue decisions in writing in line with relevant law and guidance.

Case Ref: 21 012 875 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council will remind relevant officers that they should consider using discretion to investigate late complaints about issues which fall under the Children's statutory complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 21 011 712 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• Amend policy relating to rubbish left out early to rely on Section 33 of the Local Government Act, not Section 46A.
• Identify all parties who have been issued a Fixed Penalty Notice in the last 12 months and reassess these based on the new policy.

Case Ref: 21 011 508 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• By training or other means, ensure officers make a person centred decision when offering reablement by consulting service users on a decision to provide reablement and ensuring specific needs are met by the reablement service.