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

Case Ref: 22 014 738 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to produce a policy or procedure explaining how the priority transfer list works, including the criteria for being placed on the list, the criteria for priority within the list and how temporary accommodation is allocated within the list.
• The Council will carry out a review of its procurement of temporary accommodation and identify ways of increasing the supply of different types of temporary accommodation suitable for families. This could form part of the independent external review referred to in the decision.

Case Ref: 22 013 128 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will review any similar problems being reported about properties it uses for temporary accommodation that are managed by the same agent.
• The Council will issue a reminder to relevant staff to ensure they are aware that the Council is ultimately responsible for the actions of landlords/agents of temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 22 013 092 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council agreed to remind relevant staff of:the importance of clear communication with children and families during moves between foster care placements;the need to record important information about communications with young people in vulnerable circumstances; andthe circumstances in which an early referral to the Ombudsman is appropriate under the statutory children's complaints procedure and that, unless these are met, complainants are entitled to go through all stages of the process.

Case Ref: 22 010 826 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to provide a copy of the action plan it agreed to do on a reported case (22 007 276) by June 2023. The action plan will be based on learning from that case and a wider review of the homelessness service of how it will ensure it can meet its statutory duties to homeless applicants.
• The Council agreed to identify why the review request sent in November 2021 was not located for about five months and act to ensure this cannot happen on future cases.
• The Council agreed to review why failings in the complaints process happened and act to ensure these cannot happen on future cases.

Case Ref: 22 010 472 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• Look at what went wrong in this case and why there were significant delays in amending the child's Education, Health and Care plan. The Council should consider what steps it will put in place to prevent delays like this occurring in the future. The Council should report back to the Ombudsman what measures it intends to introduce.

Case Ref: 22 005 821 Category: Education Sub Category: Alternative provision

• the Council has agreed to review its policies and procedures for deciding whether it is required to make alternative provision where it knows a child is no longer able to attend school and making the alterative provision promptly.
• the Council has agreed to review its policies and procedures for ensuring annual reviews are completed within the required timescalesand its SEN officers are aware of these timescales and their importance.