Overview
The complainant, Mr C, raised a number of concerns about a decision by North Ayrshire Council (the Council) to remove warden provision from sheltered housing. He said there had been a failure to consult with tenants and that the information available to Councillors when the decision was made was inadequate. He also complained about the process of implementation; the transition provisions; and communication generally, including the Council's response to complaints raised.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that:
- (a) the Council did not consult with tenants prior to the decision (upheld, to the extent that the decision not to consult was made without legal advice which would have been required to make it soundly based);
- (b) information provided to Councillors, prior to the decision, was inadequate (not upheld);
- (c) there was insufficient planning for the process of implementation and transition provisions (upheld); and
- (d) communication throughout was inadequate (upheld).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
- (i) review their procedures for ensuring appropriate legal advice is obtained and recorded prior to significant decisions;
- (ii) use the implementation of this decision as a case study, to ensure appropriate planning is in place for future service changes;
- (iii) ensure that, for future service changes, adequate and appropriate communication planning is undertaken and monitored; and
- (iv) review the information currently provided to tenants about the new system and ensure that systems are in place to allow tenants to communicate with the Council simply and effectively.
The Council have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.