Case Ref: 23 003 061 Category: Housing Sub Category: Private housing

• The Council will review the accommodation finding service literature, to ensure it details in full any incentive package, the duration of the incentives provided and how the incentive package will be confirmed. And to improve case management practices to ensure case documentation is accessible to the team and records are complete.

Case Ref: 23 001 070 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to provide an action plan detailing the action it is taking to reduce delays in carrying out reviews of homeless decisions.

Case Ref: 23 000 253 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to remind officers that where an applicant has indicated they have a housing need, and it is decided to not make a band award for that housing need, the reasons are included in the housing priority decision letter.
• The Council has previously provided action plans to show the action it is taking to reduce delays in processing housing applications and reviews. In August 2023, the Council also provided a report showing how long it was taking to process new housing applications and reviews, and how this had changed over the last year. The Council has agreed to provide an updated action plan and an updated report to show whether delays are reducing, and if not, it will explain the reason for this. The report will include how long it is taking to process change in circumstance forms.

Case Ref: 22 018 160 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to investigate why an email was not added to a housing file for several weeks and why a request for a review was not processed. It will then take action to prevent such failings in future.
• The Council has agreed to explore whether its systems can evidence that a letter has been emailed to a housing applicant, and if it can, it will provide details to officers who may need to check such evidence.
• The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that when an applicant suggests they are at risk of violence, the Council attempts to obtain evidence of this itself, or tells the applicant how to obtain the required evidence.
• The Council has agreed to discuss this case with the complaints officers involved to ensure it properly responds to complaints in future.
• The Council has previously provided action plans to show the action it is taking to reduce delays in processing housing applications and reviews. In August 2023, the Council also provided a report showing how long it was taking to process new housing applications and reviews, and how this had changed over the last year. The Council has agreed to provide an updated action plan and an updated report to show whether delays are reducing, and if not, it will explain the reason for this. The report will include how long it is taking to process change in circumstances forms.

Case Ref: 22 017 526 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind staff of the importance of properly following the Council’s procedures for dealing with disputes between residents at homeless centres. In particular, it will ensure it agrees an appropriate course of action with the residents involved.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant officers to offer a review if they are contacted about the suitability of temporary accommodation.

Case Ref: 22 017 487 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• •Review its process for checking progress of dropped kerb survey requests to utility companies. Its process should ensure orders are reviewed more frequently, the account is checked to be clear whether invoices have been paid and a single, clear record should be kept of contact with the utility company and all actions taken by the Council on the case.

Case Ref: 22 017 327 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to ensure all letters accepting the main housing duty inform the applicant of their statutory right to review the suitability of the accommodation offered to meet that duty.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the ongoing duty to keep the suitability of temporary accommodation under review, especially when there are reports of disrepair or other changes of circumstances which may affect suitability.
• The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff that any decision that despite disrepair or another change in circumstances, temporary accommodation remains suitable should be communicated in writing and set out the applicant’s statutory right to ask for a review of the decision under section 202 of the Housing Act 1996. It will create or amend any template letters as necessary.
• The Council has agreed to remind staff with responsibility for responding to complaints that when upholding a complaint, the response should set out what action the Council will take to remedy any injustice caused.

Case Ref: 22 016 386 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council has agreed to review its procedures for sharing information between all housing departments, such as the registration team, the temporary accommodation team and the homelessness team. When information is provided to one team, such as evidence to show that the applicant needs to add a child to their application, the evidence will be shared with other relevant teams to action accordingly.
• The Council has agreed to remind officers that they should record all decisions and respond to all correspondence.
• The Council has agreed to introduce a system to enable the Council to regularly check whether any reviews have not been completed, and that decision letters have been issued. This is to ensure reviews and decision letters are issued within the timescales set out in legislation.
• The Council has agreed to review the way it records the status of housing and homelessness applications, so that officers can easily see the status of an application, the date of any review requests and any review decisions.

Case Ref: 22 015 923 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council, Trust and ICB will formulate a communication plan to ensure Miss E and Ms D are kept informed about Miss E's care.

Case Ref: 22 015 683 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Other

• By training or other means remind staff of the importance of searching and securing alternative placements for service users in a timely manner.
• Review the communication strategies between the Council and its service users and people supporting them. This is to ensure the Council communicates information such as mental capacity assessment outcomes to people in a clear and effective manner.
• Review and make the Council’s processes and practices for securing alternative placements for service users clearer. This is to prevent any ambiguity and to manage service users’ expectations about the Council’s duties in securing the placements.
• Review the Council’s procedures to ensure it satisfies itself that identified alternative placements are suitable to meet the service users’ needs.
• Explain to the Ombudsman:How it has improved its practices for securing alternative placements for service users; andHow the Council will monitor its performance against timescales.