Case Ref: 25 012 138 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Fostering

• Within three months, the Council will review its practice for considering complaint payment recommendations to ensure consistency and recording of decision making.

Case Ref: 25 004 116 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council was at fault for not telling the residents of flats there was a ten-metre limit for the crew to move the bins and for missing collections. The Council has agreed to review the situation and propose a long-term solution that resolves the problems with collections and vermin in a way the contractor can comply with. It has agreed to fully fund any additional works or bin relocation.

Case Ref: 25 003 153 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• •provide guidance to the relevant housing staff to ensure they communicate and update applicants about the progress of their housing cases in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 25 002 805 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council agreed to ensure relevant officers are aware of the need to explore whether a household is legally statutory overcrowded when an applicant in temporary accommodation raises overcrowding as a concern.
• The Council agreed to provide evidence the failure at stage 1 of the complaints process to identify this as unsuitable accommodation was addressed.
• The Council agreed to ensure relevant officers are aware of the need to keep under review the ongoing suitability of temporary accommodation when overcrowding is raised by an applicant.

Case Ref: 25 001 999 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Safeguarding

• The Council was at fault for not meeting a person's assessed care and support needs when it housed them in unsuitable accommodation. It was also at fault for its poor communication and complaint handling. The Council will share our decision with its Adult Social Care department and Housing team to identify areas of learning around effective communication and record keeping. It will set out the action it proposes to take to improve its services in future and prevent recurrence of the faults identified in this decision.

Case Ref: 25 001 080 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will review why it did not consider and record its decision making around the anti-social behaviour and related safeguarding concerns raised in this case. It should consider its findings and set out the steps it intends to take in its Temporary Accommodation Improvement Project. This is to ensure all relevant teams are involved, views are recorded and shared internally, and decision making is evidenced and includes all relevant concerns.

Case Ref: 25 000 861 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• Take steps to ensure staff know which Ombudsman they should signpost different complainants to.

Case Ref: 24 022 022 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• BinJ to review its procedures within two months of LGSCO decision to ensure that: a) all council tax staff can differentiate between matters carrying aright of appeal and those which are for the complaints procedure, and can take correct action on each; and b) its standard letters, website, and other relevant correspondence provide information about council tax liability appeals.

Case Ref: 24 021 802 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to review processes to ensure relevant officers are aware of the correct legal test when considering the Council’s duty to secure interim accommodation when processing homeless applications.
• The Council agreed to review processes to ensure section 184 decisions are made according to statutory timescales.
• The Council agreed to review why the complaint was not dealt with under its complaints procedure according to stated timescales and ensure these are met on future cases.

Case Ref: 24 020 522 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Remind staff of the Council’s legal duty to ensure applicants are in suitable accommodation which is free from disrepair or hazards