Nottingham City Council
Annual statistics ?Find out more about annual statistics
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Complaints upheld
100% Complaints upheld by Nottingham City Council
100% of complaints we investigated were upheld.
This compares to an average of 79% in similar authorities.
10 upheld decisions
View upheld decisionsAdjusted for Nottingham City Council's population, this is
3 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.The average for authorities of this type is
4.6 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents.Statistics are based on a total of 10 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 Nottingham City Council
100% of cases we were satisfied the Council had successfully implemented our recommendations.
This compares to an average of 100% in similar authorities.
Statistics are based on a total of 7 compliance outcomes for the period between 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024
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Satisfactory remedies provided by the Council
10% Complaints with satisfactory remedy provided by Nottingham City Council
In 10% of upheld cases we found the Council had provided a satisfactory remedy before the complaint reached the Ombudsman.
This compares to an average of 13% in similar authorities.
1 satisfactory remedy decision
Statistics are based on a total of 10 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 Nottingham City Council
Mum left in debt after council stopped autistic son’s school transport
A Nottingham mum was left unable to pay her bills when she had to pay for a taxi to get her son to his special school, because the city council withdrew his free transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.
City council told to reconsider school admission appeal after Ombudsman investigation
Nottingham City Council has been told to offer a fresh schools admission hearing to a young boy who needed to move school because of ‘honour’ based violence.
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: 23 015 348
Category: Adult care services
Sub Category: Disabled facilities grants
- The Council has agreed to share a copy of this decision with relevant staff to identify learning from this complaint.
- The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff of the limited considerations which apply in deciding whether adaptation works are reasonable and practicable to ensure tenants of the Council are not disadvantaged compared to Disabled people in other housing tenures.
- The Council has agreed to ensure applications for multiple adaptations to meet different needs are considered individually with regard to the relevant tests of reasonable, practicable, necessary, and appropriate so that the Council does not refuse works which meet these tests because other, unrelated, works, do not.
- The Council has agreed to provide training or guidance to relevant staff on decision making for disabled adaptations, including the law, guidance, and case law referenced in this decision.
Case reference: 23 013 929
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to report to us on the changes it said it would make to its procedure for recording and updating information about an applicant’s risk areas and checking this information before making accommodation offers.
- The Council has agreed to remind all officers about its procedures for recording contact with applicants on the system and the requirement to follow the procedure.
Case reference: 23 008 983
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council has agreed to review the letter it sends out to applicants regarding its decision on the main housing duty to ensure it accurately advises applicants of their review rights and to ensure its officers that use this resource and give advice on homeless applications are advised of this change.
Case reference: 23 003 503
Category: Education
Sub Category: School transport
- The Council will review if it needs to make changes to its guidance and training for decision makers and panel members to address: the categories of children for whom accompaniment is and is not relevant and that officers retain discretion to consider individual family circumstances, including work commitments, when deciding when it is reasonable to expect a parent to accompany a child.
- The Council should issue a notice to all parents and carers who have been issued with a companion pass to alert them that there may have been an error in decisions expecting parents to accompany their child to school where the school is beyond statutory walking distance. The Council should invite any parents who consider they may have been affected to contact the Council so their case can be reviewed.
Case reference: 23 001 284
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will issue written reminders to relevant officers about the duty to provide interim accommodation. It should ensure officers are aware that the legal test for having 'reason to believe' someone is or may be homeless is low. If officers need to make enquiries to establish if a person is homeless, there must be a reason to believe they may be homeless and so the interim accommodation duty applies.
- The Council will issue written reminders to relevant staff to ensure they understand the Council’s duty to notify applicants in writing of the decision on their homelessness applications.
Case reference: 22 017 851
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will review its procurement policy to reduce the use of B&B/hotel accommodation and increase the supply of other types of temporary accommodation. Where a B&B/hotel placement is the only available option, notify applicants with children, or where a member of the household is pregnant, about the six week maximum limit and their right to request a suitability review when the main housing duty has been accepted.
- The Council will issue a reminder to relevant staff that PHP’s should be reviewed, as a minimum, with every change in duty.
Case reference: 22 013 083
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will remind relevant staff they should provide information about how to apply to the housing register to anyone who seeks it and of the circumstances in which those fleeing domestic abuse can join the housing register under the exceptions to the local connection criteria.
- The Council will remind relevant staff the duty to provide interim accommodation to those it has reason to believe are homeless and may be in priority need arises immediately and should be met while the Council makes inquiries.
- The Council will provide training or guidance to relevant staff on Chapter 21 of the Homelessness Code of Guidance to ensure the Council completes risk assessments and is aware of the statutory duties and guidance which apply when it has reason to believe an applicant is homeless because of domestic abuse.
- The Council will ensure all ALMOs and contractors delivering services on behalf of the Council are aware of the Council’s complaints policy and have procedures in place to either deal with or refer complaints.
- The Council will issue guidance to staff with responsibility for responding to complaints on keeping complainants informed when the Council will not meet the timescale in its complaint policy.
Case reference: 22 003 583
Category: Environment and regulation
Sub Category: Antisocial behaviour
- The Council will review its processes to ensure that when a tenant requests a transfer or priority on its housing register based on reasonable preference grounds, Nottingham City Homes, on behalf of the Council, sends a written decision to the tenant setting out thee reasons for its decision and review rights.
- The Council will prepare an information sheet to be given to those reporting anti-social behaviour (ASB), whether or not they are council tenants, which sets out the Council's general powers to address ASB reports, and includes information about the community trigger process.
- The Council will review how information can be shared between Nottingham City Homes and the Council's Anti Social Behaviour (ASB) team where council tenants report ASB that relates to individuals who are not council tenants, to avoid individuals having to make reports to both on an ongoing basis.
- The Council will provide guidance to relevant staff at Nottingham City Homes and the Council about the need to consider the precise nature of a complaint, including the power being exercised, before deciding whether to signpost a complainant to the Housing Ombudsman Service or Local Government Social Care Ombudsman or both at the end of the complaints process.
Case reference: 22 003 943
Category: Housing
Sub Category: Homelessness
- The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to properly consider affordability when making an offer of temporary accommodation, particularly when benefit entitlement has yet to be decided.
- The Council will remind relevant staff of the need to carry out essential repairs in a timely fashion.
Case reference: 21 016 233
Category: Children's care services
Sub Category: Looked after children
- The Council has agreed to remind complaint staff of the statutory guidance on complaint handling and ensures they are aware, either through training or a guidance note, of how to consider complaints about older events.
- The Council has agreed to ensure complaint staff have been trained on how to write appropriate and sensitive complaint responses with supporting evidence.
Last updated: 4 April 2015