Case Ref: 23 008 169 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• the Council should issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure officers:know the relevant time limits after an annual review, and set reminders accordingly so children do not get “lost”;review our Focus Report “Out of School, Out of Sight?” andare aware of the Section 19 duties.

Case Ref: 23 007 765 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax support

• The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to all staff dealing with council tax and benefits on how to identify when a claimant has an agreed reasonable adjustment, such as large print, and how to meet this in every communication.
• The Council has agreed to remind staff dealing with complaints to ensure any reasonable adjustments agreed by a service or department are carried through into the complaint process.

Case Ref: 23 001 390 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide a report of progress with the Improvement Plan and evidence of ongoing scrutiny by the relevant scrutiny committee or cabinet member.
• The Council has agreed to provide details of any other action it has taken to improve the available supply of temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 23 015 219 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• Review all email templates about the updating of parking permits.

Case Ref: 23 009 431 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide training/reminders to relevant staff of:•the importance of making suitably prompt enquiries and meeting statutory deadlines; and•the need to properly document decisions regarding the suitability of accommodation and to keep the suitability of accommodation under review.

Case Ref: 23 005 162 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council agreed that it would brief those staff who consider complaints made under the statutory complaint procedure for Children's Services, to pay close attention to Government guidance supporting that procedure in two areas. First, when considering a complaint made by a child or young person about events more that 12 months previously. The Council must consider the individual circumstances that have led the complainant to make a late complaint, such as their age, potential vulnerability, ability to make a complaint at the time of the events and so on. Second, to be aware of guidance on 'financial redress', which should be considered where appropriate.

Case Ref: 23 004 285 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council has agreed to carry out a comprehensive review of the operation of the statutory complaints procedure to ensure:1.people are not denied the opportunity to use the procedure where legal action has been threatened but not pursued. I would suggest it considers introducing a timeframe after which it will accept a complaint if court proceedings have not started; 2.the consideration of whether to accept late complaints is done in accordance with the statutory guidance; and3.complaints staff are aware that when the Council agrees to our recommendations, we expect the Council to implement them within the specified timescale or come back to us explaining why it is not now possible.

Case Ref: 23 002 932 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council will instruct Serco to stop the practice of putting other people's waste into one bin so it overflows, especially in relation to this complaint, but in other cases as well.

Case Ref: 23 001 217 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• Conduct its own review into the cause of the delay and evidence how it will avoid such issues reoccurring in future.

Case Ref: 22 016 295 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Reviews its procedures to ensure officers consider the suitability of interim, temporary or permanent accommodation at the point of offer and record this decision. This is to avoid the need for the Council to carry out a suitability assessment in response to an applicant’s request for a suitability review when the request is lodged within 21 days. This is also to ensure the Council does not insert an additional stage into the review process.
• By training or other means, ensures officers recognise a request for a review of homelessness decisions, including requests for a review of the suitability of temporary and permanent accommodation, and direct them to the appropriate officers to carry out the review
• Draw up or provide its action plan, with clear timescales, for reducing the delay in carrying out suitability assessments.
• Amend its template letters to ensure the Council includes details of how applicants can seek a review of the Council’s decision on their housing priority band