Leeds City Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
75% Complaints upheld by Leeds City Council
75% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 80% in similar authorities.
44 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Leeds City Council's population, this is
5.3 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.4 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 59 investigations for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Compliance with Ombudsman recommendations
100% of cases were successfully implemented by Leeds City Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 99% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 33 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
18% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Leeds City Council
In 18% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 14% in similar authorities.
8 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 44 upheld decisions for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
View all satisfactory remedy decisions
Annual letters
We write to councils each year to give a summary of the complaint statistics we record about them,
and their performance in responding to our investigations.
Reports ?Find out more about reports
In the last nine years, the Ombudsman has published the following reports against Leeds City Council
Councils cannot allow multiple care home contracts to run in tandem
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is cautioning councils against allowing the care homes they work with to have subsidiary contracts with clients following a complaint about Leeds City Council.
Council to look again at summer-born children’s school start date requests
Leeds City Council failed to follow guidance on summer-born admissions when deciding when an August-born girl could start school, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Distressed Leeds girl left without proper education for months
Leeds City Council left a young girl without proper education for nine months after she started refusing to go to her primary school because of anxiety, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
Service improvements ?Find out more about service improvements
Since April 2018, the Council has agreed to make the following improvements to its services following an Ombudsman investigation. We list up to 10 cases below – click ‘view all’ if there are more.
Case reference: 24 003 573
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Domiciliary care
- The Council has agreed to remind social work staff of the importance of reaching a balanced decision regarding care placements, taking into account all the information provided about a person’s eligible care needs.
Case reference: 24 003 054
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will issue a staff briefing to remind relevant staff ofthe importance of following statutory timescales when completing EHC needsassessments, issuing final EHC Plans, and good communication. This will help to reduce delays in the EHC needs assessment process.
Case reference: 24 002 371
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will remind its staff about the importance of considering reasonable requests for care and support plan reviews from any person acting on behalf of an adult, in accordance with statutory guidance.
Case reference: 24 001 930
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Charging
- Ensure staff carrying out financial assessments are aware the Council can use its discretion to disregard a person’s property.
Case reference: 24 000 336
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council agreed to review its procedures for processing and recording homeless applications to ensure it meets its statutory duties and correctly records whether it owes a duty to provide interim accommodation;
- The Council agreed to issue reminders to relevant staff in its housing and homelessness teams about the need to ensure information in communications to applicants is accurate, and clearly sets out any duties accepted
- The Council agreed to issue reminders to relevant staff in its housing and homelessness teams about the need to ensure that staff agree, record and implement reasonable adjustments throughout the application process.
Case reference: 23 021 204
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council delayed in concluding an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessment. It has agreed to demonstrate that it has reviewed what led to its delay in progressing the child's EHC Needs Assessment and provide details of an action plan to prevent the same issue occurring again.
- The Council has agreed to provide details of action it has taken, or intends to take, to improve its communication with parents and young people.
- The Council has agreed to provide details of action it has taken, or intends to take, to manage any systemic delays in investigating complaints about its Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) service.
- The Council has agreed to remind all SEND staff that if they become aware that a parent has electively home educated their child, or intends to - not for reasons of preference but because of concerns their current education is not meeting their child’s needs - that the Council must consider whether it owes that child a section 19 duty.
Case reference: 23 019 790
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Transport
- The Council should send written reminders to relevant Council staff to cover the following:ensure arrangements for risk assessments for an individual’s transport arrangements, and the sharing of these with the transport provider, are monitored and not left to drift; andIt should also outline good practice to staff to say that if the Council is unable to carry out actions as communicated to a complainant, it should proactively update them promptly with the reasons why.
Case reference: 23 019 778
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will provide training to all relevant staff to remind staff of the importance offollowing statutory timescales when completing EHC needs assessments andissuing final EHC Plans, responding to complaints in a timely manner, and goodcommunication and record-keeping. This will help to ensure statutory timescales are met, and people do not experience delays or loss of provision and support.
Case reference: 23 018 816
Category: Environment and regulation
Sub Category: Other
- The Council will issue a reminder to relevant staff about the need to ensure a proper record of actions and decisions is maintained when dealing with enforcement investigations.
Case reference: 23 018 292
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will:-• remind staff of the importance of providing updates;• remind staff to complete agreed actions within complaint responses;
Last updated: 4 April 2015