Case Ref: 21 018 573 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Pollution

• Seek legal advice on the implications of the Environment Act 2021 for investigating complaints of smoke nuisance and consider how it should investigate such complaints in light of that advice.

Case Ref: 21 018 334 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: Council tax support

• The Council has agreed to:•by training or other means remind staff of the importance of:omanaging council tax accounts in a timely and efficient manneroensuring it communicates effectively with taxpayersofollowing the Council’s complaint handling process and procedures
• •review and ensure the Council’s communication strategy(s) is clear and effective between its various departments. For instance, between Revenue Services and Benefit Services. This is to ensure taxpayers’ concerns are dealt with appropriately, effectively and in a timely manner.

Case Ref: 21 018 046 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Refuse and recycling

• The Council has agreed to remind depots of the need for collection crews to tag contaminated bins so that residents are immediately aware of the reason for non-collection.

Case Ref: 21 016 368 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council will remind staff within its Special Educational Needs team of the need to keep minutes of key meetings, such as annual reviews.
• The Council will consider how it can improve access to special school places in its area and devise an action plan to share with the Ombudsman. This should include timeframes for action.

Case Ref: 21 016 008 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure its officers are aware that mobility awards can be removed at an applicant’s request without having another Occupational Therapy assessment.
• The Council has agreed to take action to ensure that applicants are provided with the Occupational Therapist’s recommendations following a mobility assessment.

Case Ref: 21 015 968 Category: Planning Sub Category: Enforcement

• The Council should also carry out appropriate refresher training about Permitted Development Rights with the officers involved in this case.

Case Ref: 21 015 830 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Looked after children

• The Council will remind all staff who respond to children’s social care complaints about the requirement to consider historic complaints on a case-by-case basis before making a reasoned decision on how to progress a complaint.

Case Ref: 21 015 299 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant officers of the process for checking whether OT assessments have been requested.

Case Ref: 21 014 847 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to investigate why no action was taken on this case for six months, and to take action to prevent such failings in future.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that home visits are carried out in a timely manner and applicants are not prevented from bidding while they are waiting for a home visit.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that housing applicants are offered interim accommodation if the Council has reason to believe they may be homeless, eligible for assistance and have a priority need. This duty applies to housing and homelessness applicants.

Case Ref: 21 014 688 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to remind relevant officers that Disabled Facilities Grants are available to people in all housing tenures.
• The Council has agreed to review the Occupational Therapy assessment process to ensure future assessments are completed in line with its Allocations Policy.