Case Ref: 20 001 885 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax

• The Council agreed to: review its processes and advise staff of the incident and its consequences and make the training/reference material more robust; target requests for detailed council tax reduction calculations and send them to a specific priority workstream so they are treated urgently and do not get mixed up with general correspondence; change the wording on council tax bills from a passive statement to request information to a more informed statement that it is a right to have it should you so wish, something akin to ‘You are entitled to a written statement setting out the reasons for the reduction decision or, details of the appeals procedure. Please contact us within one month to request this … which will be in bold to stand out on the page.’

Case Ref: 20 000 712 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council should produce a joint working agreement to ensure effective communication and cooperation between the Council and Northampton Partnership Homes on complaints.
• The Council should review information sharing arrangements between the Council and Northampton Partnership Homes so that information about complaints can be shared easily.
• The Council should arrange complaint handling training for all senior staff and staff responsible for responding to complaints at Northampton Partnership Homes and the Council.

Case Ref: 19 018 143 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Cemeteries and crematoria

• The Council has altered its procedure to ensure a baby will no longer be interred in the head of adult graves. When the Council becomes part of the new unitary authority it intends to adopt a policy to ensure babies are buried either in the baby section or in a full grave.

Case Ref: 19 007 481 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants

• Within two months of my final decision on this complaint the Council should draw up an action plan to learn lessons from this complaint. I will not be prescriptive about what those lessons are, but they must include: Improving record keeping including reasons for delay in taking action and agreeing remedial work. Consideration of how the Council can ensure it meets the requirements of the DFG process including inspections, signing off work and providing completion certificates. Reviewing its complaint handling procedures with regards to DFG applications and process.

Case Ref: 19 015 470 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council will carry out a period of monitoring of the waste dumped in Mr X’s area, in relation to both the public bins and the fly-tipping, to identify the root of the problem. The Council should then develop and implement a plan to address the problem. This monitoring should begin within one month of the final decision and continue for a period of three months. The Council should then provide the Ombudsman with details of its findings and plan to address the problem within one month of the monitoring concluding.
• Remove the fly-tipping from the relevant highway.
• Refer the site detailed to the Environmental Agency.
• The Council will carry out the weed treatment on Mr X’s road and the surrounding roads according to the spring cycle. It will then review the treatment one month later and determine the suitability of further treatment.

Case Ref: 19 006 047 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Licensing

• As part of its consideration of a licensing enforcement policy the Council should ensure either the policy or its taxi and private hire customer complaints guide makes clear the need to write to those who have complained to tell them about the outcome of any investigation.

Case Ref: 18 016 348 Category: Other Categories Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed, within three months, to review its procedures for burials, to ensure there is a robust double-check of the plot numbers at the point the grave is dug.

Case Ref: 18 008 117 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• Review its procedures to ensure that, in future, anyone who is potentially homeless is dealt with as such.