Case Ref: 21 007 396 Category: Planning Sub Category: Planning applications

• The Council will remind its officers they must publicise planning applications in accordance with its Statement of Community Involvement.

Case Ref: 21 005 345 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to remind its adult social care staff as to when the Council should not ask a client's family to pay a top up fee, when a care home placement is more expensive than the personal budget it has initially allocated.

Case Ref: 21 002 385 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Other

• The Council has agreed it will provide evidence which shows it has completed observations and appropriate actions to ensure staff are professional and courteous at all times, particularly when dealing with sensitive matters.
• The Council has agreed it will review how it communicates with contractors about jobs it asks them to do, to ensure it provides clear and detailed instructions on the work which needs doing.

Case Ref: 21 002 300 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council will inform staff that the Ombudsman expects councils to allow complainants the opportunity to challenge council decisions, irrespective of whether there is a right to appeal. This could be through a formal appeal process or through its complaints process.

Case Ref: 21 002 237 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will provide us with evidence of how it tracks progress on complaints being considered under the statutory children’s complaints procedure to ensure that the statutory deadlines under this are met.

Case Ref: 21 000 914 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Assessment and care plan

• The Council has agreed to: Ensure client contribution appeal decision letters demonstrate the reasoning behind the Council’s decision. Ensure management discussions/oversight of decision making are recorded in adult social care case records.

Case Ref: 21 000 239 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Domiciliary care

• Reflect on the issues raised in this decision statement and identify any areas of service improvement, particularly around record keeping and responding to care quality concerns. The Council should prepare a short report setting out what the Council intends to do to ensure similar problems not reoccur. This report should be sent to the Ombudsman.

Case Ref: 20 013 729 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has agreed to introduce a policy for considering repayment of business grants paid in error to support businesses impacted by COVID-19. This will take account of our advice on good administrative practice when considering debts caused by Council error, as well as relevant Government guidance.

Case Ref: 20 010 479 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council should be able to show that it has systems in place to ensure it meets the statutory deadlines it is required to meet in the EHC plan process.

Case Ref: 20 009 903 Category: Benefits and tax Sub Category: COVID-19

• The Council has also agreed that as a minimum it will brief all officers administering support payments on the facts of this case and the findings of this investigation. This is to ensure officers know to consider the specific facts around each case when considering making a NHS Test & Trace Support Payment where an applicant declares they are on furlough. And that where refusing a payment the Council provides clear reasons for its decision that reference the rules of the scheme.