London Borough of Islington
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
85% Complaints upheld by London Borough of Islington
85% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 85% in similar authorities.
22 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for London Borough of Islington's population, this is
10 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
8.2 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 26 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 London Borough of Islington
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 19 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
23% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by London Borough of Islington
In 23% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 12% in similar authorities.
5 satisfactory remedy decisions
Statistics are based on a total of 22 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 London Borough of Islington
Islington woman scared she would be “left to die” due to council inaction
A disabled Islington woman was left in a state of neglect after her local council took too long to decide what funding it would give her to manage her own support needs, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has reported.
Councils reminded about good complaint handling following two Ombudsman investigations
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is reminding local authorities about the importance of good complaint handling after it found significant issues in two councils’ procedures.
Haringey and Islington councils criticised for how they recovered business rate debts
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised two London councils for the way they tried to recover historic business rate debts.
Teenager wrongly left homeless by London council
A homeless Islington teenager has been lost in the system after council officers failed to support her when she called on them for help.
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: 24 008 305
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to remind homelessness staff that once they become aware that a person may be homeless, eligible and in priority need, it is under a duty to provide them with interim accommodation from that point and the Ombudsman would be critical of any delay.
- The Council has agreed to outline what action it has taken to improve its timeliness in carrying out statutory reviews of homelessness decisions.
- The Council has agreed to remind homelessness staff of the importance of sending out duty letters and personalised housing plans so that applicants have a record of the steps the Council is taking, and they can take, to relieve their homelessness.
Case reference: 24 006 852
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to ensure frontline staff are aware that a homeless application can be made to anydepartment and refer people who indicate they may be homeless or threatenedwith homelessness to the relevant department for advice and assistance. It will provideguidance or training as necessary
- The Council will, using this case as an example, provide training or guidance to frontline staffon their role in safeguarding and the process for making a safeguardingreferral.
Case reference: 24 006 441
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Domiciliary care
- The Council has agreed to provide evidence that:a) it has a plan in place to make sure people receiving care and support have their needs reviewed at least every 12 months and it is monitoring compliance;b) it has processes in place to ensure care providers are meeting all the care needs the Council has identified;c) MiHomecare is doing regular spot checks to ensure its care workers are cleaning to the right standard.
Case reference: 24 005 288
Category: Education
Sub Category: Alternative provision
- Review its communication strategy to ensure parents are regularly updated on the status of their child’s case, particularly when alternative educational provision is being considered. The Council should provide the Ombudsman with the outcome of its review and any proposed service changes.
Case reference: 24 004 400
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Residential care
- The Council will issue a written reminder to staff in its complaints team to apply the wording of its complaints policy on late complaints.
Case reference: 24 003 536
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Allocations
- The Council will review the information it gives staff in its housing service and medical advisors about how to complete medical assessments to ensure it meets the expectations set out in the Ombudsman's focus report 'Medical assessments for housing applications'.
Case reference: 23 020 724
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will provide evidence the Housing Officer involved has completed refreshed training on how to recognise domestic abuse, and to provide necessary support irrespective of the frequency of domestic abuse incidents.
- The Council will remind all housing officers to complete personalised housing plans properly and thoroughly. In particular, not to leave the section called “What actions/reasonable steps the Housing Options Officer will do next” blank. This is because it is vital that applicants know what the Council has agreed to do to help secure or keep accommodation.
Case reference: 23 020 048
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Allocations
- The Council agreed that it would issue a reminder to all relevant staff on the importance of proof-reading letters sent to homeless applicants to stress the importance of including reasons for decisions and to try and avoid basic factual errors.
- The Council also agreed that it would put a procedure or protocol in place to follow up with its medical adviser when waiting for their advice. It would also remind relevant staff of the need to follow such procedure or protocol. This would be to avoid applicants experiencing delay in finding out the outcome of a request for medical priority points under its housing allocation policy.
Case reference: 23 019 982
Category: Education
Sub Category: Special educational needs
- The Council will remind staff in its Special Educational Needs and Disability Service to ensure: 1. the statutory timescales for the Education, Health, and Care plan process following annual reviews are always adhered to. Including in circumstances where it receives late request for further educational needs provision from parents; and 2. requests from parents are responded to and views from schools or other professionals are sought without delay. This is to ensure good communication with those involved and to avoid unnecessary delays in the process.
Case reference: 23 018 981
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to remind homelessness staff that the advice they offer applicants fleeing domestic abuse must set out all their housing options so they can make an informed choice. This should include all options they may have to join the housing register, in particular under the reasonable preference categories set out in section 166 of the Housing Act.
Last updated: 4 April 2015