Issue - meetings

The Monitoring Officer and / or the Interim Corporate Director of Children, Education & Communities to present a report which complies with the statutory duty to report a finding of maladministration made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Note:  As this item has been on the Forward Plan for less than 28 days before the meeting, it has been included on the agenda under the council’s urgency procedures.  The reason for the urgency is the need to ensure that the Executive receives the Ombudsman’s report within the statutory timescale.

Resolved:  That the report be received and noted and that the steps already taken in response to the case be approved.

Reason:     In accordance with legal requirements.

The Assistant Director, Legal & Governancepresented a report which complied with the statutory duty to report to Members the Local Government Ombudsman and Social Care Ombudsman’s finding that the council had been guilty of maladministration by not providing appropriate supervision for the parents of a child in its care in hospital and for not responding quickly enough to the parents’ complaint. 

This item had been added to the agenda under the council’s urgent procedures, as a ‘non-key decision’ that had been on the Forward Plan for less than 28 days in advance of the decision date.  The reason for the urgency was the need to ensure receipt of the Ombudsman’s report within the statutory timescale.

The full report of the Ombudsman was attached as Annex A.  It was confirmed that the council had accepted, and was complying with, the recommendations in that report.

Resolved:  That the report be received and noted and that the steps already taken in response to the case be approved.

Reason:     In accordance with legal requirements.