Case Ref: 24 003 197 Category: Adult care services Sub Category: Transport

• The Council will review its procedure in the event it experiences difficulties sourcing support in a care and support plan. We recommend it puts in place a clear process for escalating concerns when the Council receives reports that care and support services are not being provided.

Case Ref: 24 002 773 Category: Education Sub Category: Special educational needs

• The Council agreed that it would liaise with a school the complainant's child attended, to address flaws in how the school was approaching the annual review of children's Education, Health and Care Plans. It needed to ensure arrangements were in place that parents were properly consulted as part of a review, that it asked for reports from any third parties responsible for delivering provision identified in a Plan and that it convened meetings as part of the review.
• The Council agreed to provide an update on measures it said it had begun introducing since the events covered by this complaint to identify where the review of a child's Education, Health and Care Plan had become overdue and to monitor overall trends in its performance in meeting statutory timescales for holding reviews and decision making following reviews. It would also explain to us what measures it had put in place to expedite reviews or decision making, where it knew it had exceeded the statutory targets.

Case Ref: 23 017 287 Category: Housing Sub Category: Allocations

• The Council will makes its voids team aware that all necessary equipment must be in full working order before a property is allocated.

Case Ref: 23 017 249 Category: Education Sub Category: School transport

• The Council has agreed to review its school transport appeal procedure to ensure all those involved are aware of the differences in the guidance for post-16 transport and the need to record the decision-making process so it is clear how and why the decision was made.

Case Ref: 23 015 529 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• The Council will also issue a reminder to Company A that itis required to respond to complaints in accordance with its complaints procedure.

Case Ref: 23 011 975 Category: Transport and highways Sub Category: Parking and other penalties

• The Council will remind officers dealing with dropped kerb appeals of the need to ensure each case is considered on its merits and that exceptional circumstances should not be limited to just the two options given in the guidance.
• The Council will consider amending its guidance on dropped kerbs to make clear when deciding whether exceptional circumstances apply it needs to consider the representations made by the applicant.

Case Ref: 23 009 253 Category: Environment and regulation Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour

• The Council will remind officers that decision letters issued in respect of ASB case reviews must notify individuals of their right to an appeal.
• The Council will remind relevant officers of the importance of keeping proper, suitable records relating to ASB case reviews. The Council should direct officers to review the Ombudsman’s “Guidance on Good Administrative Practice” when doing so.

Case Ref: 23 005 243 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council has agreed to remind its officers of the need to provide tailored benefit advice to applicants in their personalised housing plans.

Case Ref: 23 004 665 Category: Housing Sub Category: Homelessness

• The Council will remind staff dealing with homelessness applications of the Council’s statutory duties to assess the suitability of housing in homelessness applications.

Case Ref: 23 018 689 Category: Children's care services Sub Category: Other

• The Council will compile a database of Investigating Officers and Independent Persons it can ask to carry out stage two investigations under the children's statutory complaints procedure.