London Borough of Hounslow (25 006 611)

Statement Upheld Council tax 24-Mar-2026

Summary: Mr X complained the Council incorrectly advised him he was due a council tax refund of £5,750.75 and agreed to send him the money. The Council later said Mr X was not due a refund. By then, Mr X had spent savings and borrowed money based on the Council’s advice, causing emotional distress. The Council was at fault for giving Mr X incorrect advice about his eligibility for a refund. The Council agreed to pay Mr X an increased distress payment for raising his expectations and for the distress and uncertainty its fault caused him.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 008 266)

Statement Upheld Disabled children 05-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has not dealt properly with services for her family including reviewing an Education Health and Care Plan, her son’s education provision, blue badge applications, a carers assessment and has not handled her complaints properly. The Council is at fault because it delayed an Education Health and Care Plan annual review, failed to make special educational provision, closed a child in need plan without informing her and did not deal with part of her complaint through the correct complaints process. Ms X suffered a delayed right of appeal and Y missed special educational needs provision. The Council should apologise, make a symbolic payment to Ms X, repay Ms X costs of therapy provision and make service improvements.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 008 267)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 04-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has not dealt properly with services for her family including reviewing an Education Health and Care Plan, her son’s education provision, blue badge applications, a carers assessment and has not handled her complaints properly. The Council is at fault because it delayed an Education Health and Care Plan annual review, failed to make special educational provision, closed a child in need plan without informing her and did not deal with part of her complaint through the correct complaints process. Ms X suffered a delayed right of appeal and Y missed special educational needs provision. The Council should apologise, make a symbolic payment to Ms X, repay Ms X costs of therapy provision and make service improvements.

London Borough of Hounslow (24 018 604)

Statement Upheld Other 04-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has not dealt properly with services for her family including reviewing an Education Health and Care Plan, her son’s education provision, blue badge applications, a carers assessment and has not handled her complaints properly. The Council is at fault because it delayed an Education Health and Care Plan annual review, failed to make special educational provision, closed a child in need plan without informing her and did not deal with part of her complaint through the correct complaints process. Ms X suffered a delayed right of appeal and Y missed special educational needs provision. The Council should apologise, make a symbolic payment to Ms X, repay Ms X costs of therapy provision and make service improvements.

London Borough of Hounslow (24 021 003)

Statement Upheld Special educational needs 04-Mar-2026

Summary: Ms X complains the Council has not dealt properly with services for her family including reviewing an Education Health and Care Plan, her son’s education provision, blue badge applications, a carers assessment and has not handled her complaints properly. The Council is at fault because it delayed an Education Health and Care Plan annual review, failed to make special educational provision, closed a child in need plan without informing her and did not deal with part of her complaint through the correct complaints process. Ms X suffered a delayed right of appeal and Y missed special educational needs provision. The Council should apologise, make a symbolic payment to Ms X, repay Ms X costs of therapy provision and make service improvements.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 002 602)

Statement Upheld Allocations 04-Mar-2026

Summary: The complaint is about the lack of communication from the Council about a decision on a housing register application. And that, because the Council’s Housing Allocations Policy gives preference to working households, it makes it discriminatory: against women who are pregnant or on maternity leave. Our decision is the Council was at fault in its communications. It has proposed a remedy, which is suitable. We do not uphold the complaint about discrimination. The Council has shown it considered the issue. Its view is it has measures to alleviate any indirect discrimination. Only the courts can decide if any discrimination is a proportionate means of the Council achieving the aim of its Policy.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 014 423)

Statement Upheld Council tax 04-Mar-2026

Summary: We have upheld, and will not investigate further, this complaint about council tax liability. This is because the Council has accepted fault and offered an appropriate remedy for the injustice. There are no wider public interest issues to justify investigating

London Borough of Hounslow (25 006 657)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 25-Feb-2026

Summary: The Council was at fault. It did not provide Mrs X’s child, Y, with a suitable education or their special educational provision to which they were entitled. The Council will apologise to Y and pay Mrs X a symbolic payment to acknowledge Y’s missed education, missed special educational provision and Mrs X’s uncertainty. It will put a service improvement in place.

London Borough of Hounslow (24 017 426)

Statement Upheld Allocations 18-Feb-2026

Summary: There was fault with the way the Council considered Ms Y’s homelessness and housing register applications. This meant she had to wait longer to receive a housing register decision and homelessness assistance. There was no fault with how the Council considered Ms Y’s application for discretionary housing payment. The Council agreed to apologise and make a payment to Ms Y for the distress and anxiety caused.

London Borough of Hounslow (25 000 528)

Statement Upheld Homelessness 29-Jan-2026

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his homelessness application. We have found fault by the Council, causing injustice, in failing to: properly consider whether it had reason to believe Mr X might be in priority need and a duty to arrange interim accommodation; make it clear, in its revised decision, it had now accepted the interim accommodation duty; process Mr X’s review request in a timely way or properly address the issues raised: keep adequate records about its response to his issues with the interim accommodation; and complete its complaint handling process within its published timescales. To remedy the injustice, the Council has agreedto: apologise to Mr X, make payments to recognise the impact of its failures; and service improvements.