Case Ref: 23 016 329 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will review its procedures to ensure complaints about interim accommodation are put through its complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 23 014 207 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• Review its policy on footway crossings to make clear that all applications will be considered on their merits and the Council may disapply any of the requirements where there are good reasons for it to do so.
• Provide guidance to staff that reasoning for decisions about applications must be recorded and decision outcome letters must make this reasoning clear to applicants.

Case Ref: 23 013 511 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to review why it took so long to issue a Personal Housing Plan and act to ensure they are issued sooner in the future.
• The Council agreed to review what impact the steps it said it took, and is taking, to improve the number of properties available has, and is having, on homeless applicants known to be living in unsuitable accommodation.

Case Ref: 23 010 040 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will review the record keeping for its service users on the social housing register to ensure the record keeping is orderly and the documents are easily accessible.
• The Council will promote a better understanding of the COuncil's duty to make reasonable adjustments for its service users by ensuring the staff from the Council's housing and complaint teams review our Focus Report 'Equal access: Getting it right for people with disabilities' issued in May 2022.

Case Ref: 23 009 398 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour

• The Council will send a reminder to officers dealing with antisocial behaviour and noise to remind them: a)of the need to follow the Council’s noise procedure when deciding whether to visit the person that has complained; and b)about the need to notify those who have complained about the ASB review process where more than three complaints of antisocial behaviour have been received within six months;
• The Council will send a reminder to officers dealing with complaints of the need to ensure complaint responses cover all the issues raised by the person that has complained.

Case Ref: 23 005 337 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council agreed to ensure its new policy for considering review of ongoing suitability of temporary accommodation sets out:the factors the Council will take into account when deciding whether to carry out a suitability review;how the Council will record its consideration of applications for a review of ongoing suitability;that the Council should provide a clear explanation of its decisions to those applying; andany decision should explain how an applicant can challenge the Council’s decision, including through its complaints policy, if they believe the Council has not considered their application properly.
• The Council agreed to review its policy on the protection of belongings for people for whom it has a duty, or a power, to take reasonable steps to protect belongings under the Housing Act 1996 and arrange suitable

Case Ref: 23 004 851 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to:review the complaint handling in this complaint and if applicable produce an action plan to avoid future reoccurrence;
• review the initial delay in the allocation of a social worker and if applicable produce an action plan to avoid future reoccurrence;
• remind staff by way of a staff circular or through team meetings about the completion of assessments and support plans so that they are clear and provide a justification for service decisions;
• remind staff by way of a staff circular or through team meetings about sending copies of assessments to participants.

Case Ref: 23 011 451 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the timescales set out in its complaints policy.

Case Ref: 23 009 455 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Provide the Ombudsman with information about the number of requests for reviews which are currently outstanding and the average waiting time for a decision.
• Provide up an action plan, with targets, to clear any identified backlog of review requests.

Case Ref: 23 008 444 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to provide relevant staff with a copy of this decision statement.