The Constitution (Article 12.03(a)) requires the Monitoring Officer to report to Cabinet (or to Council for non-executive functions) if any decision or omission has given rise to maladministration. This report concerns cases where, separately, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman have determined maladministration/service failings by the Council.

This report is also required under section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in view of the aforementioned decisions in the matters referred to by, separately, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman.

RESOLVED that Cabinet formally receives and notes this report, and particularly the findings/orders/recommendations from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and Housing Ombudsman in the cases covered by this report; the compliance with those matters by the Council; and the wider learning points set out within the report.

Cabinet was aware that the Council’s Constitution (Article 12.03(a)) required the Monitoring Officer to report to Cabinet (or to Council for non-executive functions) if any decision or omission had given rise to maladministration. This report concerned cases where, separately, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman had determined maladministration/service failings by the Council.

This report was also required under section 5A of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in view of the aforementioned decisions in the matters referred to by, separately, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman.

The Housing and Planning Portfolio Holder made the following statement:-

“Leader, this report is for noting by Cabinet in regard to two findings of maladministration by this Council, by, firstly, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman and, secondly, the Housing Ombudsman. The full recommendation is shown on Page 285 of the Agenda.

The very brief circumstances of each are as follows:

Firstly, A parent with two children who was facing eviction approached the council, in the late summer of 2024, and within that period exchanges occurred between them and the Council. The Ombudsman criticised the council for a gap in that exchange of 18 working days.

At the time, and in view of the difficulty in finding suitable private rented or social

housing to meet the family’s needs, the parent and children were placed in bed and

breakfast accommodation.

Their stay in this accommodation was for 8 weeks and 1 day, which as Cabinet will know, is over the maximum of 6 weeks allowed by law and Government guidance.

As a result the Ombudsman found maladministration by the Council in respect of the 2 weeks and 1 day period, and recommended that an apology be provided, as well as a payment of £600 to be made.

Both the apology and payment have been actioned, and payment was made in November 2025. In addition, officers have been reminded of the expectations around timescales for correspondence exchanges with homeless applicants to address the concerns in this case as raised by the Ombudsman.

Since the date of this event, Spendells House has come online, and currently this Council has no families in bed and breakfast, and has not used any for some time.

The second finding is in relation to a leaking roof at one of the council’s properties and the significant delays in completing the repairs, as well as a lack of regular updates to the tenant. The repair works were completed satisfactorily.

The Council recognised the issues raised in this complaint, and that the delays were unreasonable. There have been lessons learned from this complaint and the Council has said how it would improve things in the future. An offer of £900 compensation was offered, which the Housing Ombudsman has considered to be reasonable.

The Council also issued its final response to the tenant’s complaint outside of the timescales within its Complaints process, and did not acknowledge this delay, despite the tenant having to chase the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112