The complaints received covered a wide range of Council services. There was a significant decrease (from 55 complaints to 39) in the number of housing complaints compared with the previous year. Email us at info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk or use our online complaint form. Complain to your council if they have done something wrong, failed to provide a service or not followed correct procedures Complain about your council - GOV.UK Cookies on GOV.UK We just need your name, your home address and email address. Sandwell council tenants could be left without power after local authority electricians voted for strike action over an ‘unfair’ pay evaluation that is costing them £1,000 a year, Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, warned today (Thursday 9 January). Sandwell Council received 147 complaints last year and had to pay out more than £7,000 in settlement fees, new figures have revealed. All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, Help from your council if you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness, Housing Benefit information from your council, Council and housing association evictions, Swap your council or housing association home, Garden maintenance for elderly or disabled council tenants, Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance and support, Transparency and freedom of information releases. The Sandwell Council misconduct hearing found that Mahboob Hussain had broken the rules in a sale of public toilets. Complaints and compliments about housing. The SKWAWKBOX has obtained evidence of a potential… While our offices are closed, if you need housing advice on homelessness, getting temporary accommodation, our housing register or renting in social housing, you can email housingoptions@thurrock.gov.uk or phone 01375 652 820. If you want to complain about the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, subsequently call the complaints line on 0121 569 7867 or 0121 569 2200. If you feel a Sandwell Council employee or contractor has discriminated against you, you should register a complaint by filling out a complaints form which is available at all Housing Service Centres, or at any Council office. You can do this by emailing or calling us. Sandwell Council Direct 2 Industrial Estate Roway Ln Oldbury B69 3ES. There were 47 complaints about housing, 30 about environmental and public protection issues and 23 about education and children's services. If you’re homeless. Of these 60, the Ombudsman could not find enough evidence in 28 of the cases, and in seven of the cases they found there was no injustice or only minor injustice incurred. Following Cllr Eling’s council interview during the investigation, he was found to have not breached the code of conduct for Sandwell MBC. Find out about call charges. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Housing Maintenance. Complaints procedure. If you want to complain about the Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, subsequently call the complaints line on 0121 569 7867 or 0121 569 2200. Telephone: 0300 111 3000 Please note that under certain circumstances we reserve the … There was also 21 about benefits and tax issues. Good – the service is performing well and meeting our expectations. Make a complaint, compliment or suggestion about housing. He is also an employee and close ally of Labour MP and deputy leader Tom Watson. Please note that due to the impact of current lockdown restrictions and staff resourcing issues, we are temporarily reducing the operating times of our phone service. Add to favourites View development Contact Sandwell Council on 0121 569 6000, visit the website here, or pick up an application form from the Hawthorn Fields Neighbourhood Office. Outstanding – the service is performing exceptionally well. Hilary Milne, group director of governance and compliance at One Housing, says a new resolution team aimed at resolving complaints earlier is “helping to mitigate the need for formal complaints and referrals to the Housing Ombudsman”. Online housing services. Sorry, we are not accepting comments on this article. Under the Localism Act 2011, the Council has adopted a local Code of Conduct for Members and Co-opted Members along with arrangements for dealing with complaints. The Council's Monitoring Officer will initially assess allegations against elected or co-opted members for breach of the Council's Code of Conduct for Members. The rest of the complaints – a total of 25 – were settled between the council and ombudsman, and complainant, and no action was taken. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. Sandwell Council work closely with the community and voluntary sector to develop innovative training and support over a range of activities. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Council and Sandwell Homes could have done more to stop the antisocial behaviour from happening, the Council agreed to pay each complainant £100, arrange for senior Council and Sandwell Homes officers to meet with them and to explore the prospects for mediation between the parties. 03 MARCH 2021 . For example, Origin Housing’s shows that 59% of complaints fall under ‘property condition’, while conversely for Kingston Council the figure is just 25%. Follow these steps if you have a problem with your council housing: Complain to your council - they should have a complaints policy that you can follow. There was also 21 about benefits and tax issues. In 2017-2018 Sandwell was recognised as the best metropolitan borough for in-year Council Tax collection. The majority of complaints to the Local Government ombudsman in 2011/2012 about Sandwell Council were to do with housing issues. This is a fantastic achievement for the service which we are extremely proud of and our aim The others were to do with transport, planning corporate services and adult social care. One Housing was found at fault 13 times in 2017/18 and 16 times in 2018/19, but only seven times in 2019/20. Delivering Better Outcomes by working together Sandwell council has an active grants programme which includes spend of about £1 million each year on voluntary sector organisations that deliver free advice on issues such as benefits, debt, housing, immigration, employment. Report anti social behaviour: Report it directly to the customer service centre on 0345 111 0022, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Posts tagged: housing Complain and you’re out: Research confirms link between tenant complaints and revenge eviction. Requires improvement – the service isn't performing as well as it should and we have told the service how it must improve. Our equal opportunities policy/ code of practice can also be obtained from any of our offices or online. info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk Dealing with complaints Creating spread sheets linked to KPI's Worked with social services handling private and sensitive information regarding tenants Dealt with company mobile phone bills and fuel bills Taking calls from Council tenants regarding house repairs Inputting, amending and updating works invoices for hours worked and materials used Of these, the ombudsman investigated 60 complaints the rest were deemed as too premature, or just needed advice to be given. There were 47 complaints about housing, 30 about environmental and public protection issues and 23 about education and children's services. To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. You may wish to make a complaint, compliment or suggestion about the housing services we provide. Below are a few of our popular services. If you feel that Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council have ignored your requests to repair your home and that your family’s health is at risk WE CAN HELP. effective, accurate administration of Housing Benefit, Local Council Tax Reduction, Discretionary Housing Payments and Local Welfare Provision. One of the UKs leading providers of planned and responsive maintenance services in the social housing sector, maintaining over 500,000 homes nationwide every year. Resolver - the automated complaints system. Social Care It may take us longer … You can use your MySandwell account to view your Sandwell council tax, benefits and business rates or housing balances, make payments, request services, report problems and track any enquiries you put in to the council. If the council won’t change your housing plan you can challenge their decision. Simon Hackett is a councillor in Sandwell and Chair of Sandwell Labour's LCF (local campaign forum), which has been suspended by the Labour Party after allegations of anti-democratic behaviour by key figures. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Sandwell Council confirms Jan Britton resigned from £140k per year post without 'compensation package' Jan Britton (inset) As the SKWAWKBOX reported yesterday Jan Britton, the chief executive officer of Sandwell Council - the borough at the heart of the Labour right's West Midlands stronghold - resigned yesterday from his £140,000-a-year position, a week after being… Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of the site. Your housing plan will say what steps the council will take to help you get somewhere to live. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. For FREE, no obligation advice… Call our housing advice team on 0800 612 4690, quoting “ Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council ”. Housing Ombudsman It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Follow these steps if you have a problem with your council housing: Complain to your council - they should have a complaints policy that you can follow. ... Wates Residential in line to deliver 61 new homes for Hounslow Council. It said that the councillor “ignored” a £130,000 valuation, and instead sold them for £35,000 to a family friend. The number of complaints to the council was actually down on last year, by 32, as was the amount of money paid out in settlement payments. You will only be able to apply for available homes to rent if you have completed a Housing Registration Form which you can get from any Sandwell Local Centre or you can call us on 0121-368-1166 and we’ll post one out to you. The number of complaints in the ‘Other’ category fell to 17 from 57, although the high number of such Private renters in England who formally complain about issues such as damp and mould in their home have an almost one-in-two (46%) chance of being issued an eviction notice within 6 months, according to a new report – Touch and go – released today by Citizens Advice. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. The Ombudsman's annual review did highlight that it took 30 days on average for the Council to respond to complaints compared to the target time of 28 days. For FREE, no obligation advice… Call our housing advice team on 0800 612 4690, quoting “ Sandwell Borough Council ”. If you need help to challenge your housing plan contact your nearest Citizens Advice. The move comes following complaints of drinkers urinating in public places and dog mess covered pavements. Should this not effect a satisfactory resolution to your complaint, then you can take the issue further by following the organization's complaints process. Make a complaint to a ‘designated person’ (your MP, a local councillor or a tenant panel) if you cannot resolve the problem with your council. iSandwell is a community development program that mixes frontline facing citizen engagement with smart city thinking to improve the use of digital in the region to alleviate social issues. You can use our online services to bid for properties, report a repair and to check your rent statement. Thurrock Council is a unitary authority in the east of England. If your complaint cannot be resolved informally you may wish to make a formal complaint. Contact the Housing Ombudsman if you and your council still cannot resolve the problem. ... Free complaints tool. Councillor Mahboob Hussain has denied any misconduct, and of course he has the right to defend himself. Should this not effect a satisfactory resolution to your complaint, then you can take the issue further by following the organization's complaints process. Read more about challenging a homeless decision. How this site works. If you feel that Sandwell Borough Council have ignored your requests to repair your home and that your family’s health is at risk WE CAN HELP. Council housing bidding - shortlisted. Housing 21, in partnership with Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency, is delighted to present Queensridge Court. In 2010/2011 the Council had paid out £13,041, whereas in 2011/ 2012 they paid out £7019.59. More than 100 official complaints were lodged with Sandwell Council and the authority paid out almost £3,825 in 10 settlements last year. Complaints and enquiries about One Housing are much more likely to fall under the ‘estate management’ and ‘landlord advice’ categories than average.