Halton Borough Council did not do enough to help a man who approached it for help when he became homeless because of domestic abuse, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

Instead, it closed his case without telling him why or giving him the chance to appeal the decision.

The man first approached the council for help in October 2021. The council accepted it had a duty to help him and gave him a personal housing plan. However, the Ombudsman found the council did not issue the man with a decision about whether it owed him the main housing duty and then closed his case.

The council claimed it did this because the man refused to co-operate. But the Ombudsman’s investigation found the council did not follow legislation by closing the case for this reason: it should have told the man in writing and given him the right to appeal the decision. The council claimed it had tried to keep in contact with the man before closing his case, but the Ombudsman found the council’s own records do not show this.

The council also said the man did not provide the evidence needed to support his case. Yet the evidence uncovered by the Ombudsman investigation suggests the man provided information but was not told it did not meet the council’s requirements, which instead left him reassured the council’s homelessness relief duty towards him would not end after the 56 days were up.

The Ombudsman’s investigation also found the council put an additional barrier in the man’s way before it would refer him to a different authority area for help, which was beyond what the law states.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“This man was vulnerable and a victim of domestic abuse which rendered him homeless. At this moment of crisis in his life, he turned to the council for help. The council’s failure to follow the legislation and guidance for closing a case due to deliberate and unreasonable refusal meant the man was not given the opportunity to re-engage and had his appeal rights taken away.

“All this means he missed out on the opportunity to secure accommodation and successfully bid on properties.

“I am pleased the council is now putting in place the recommendations I have made, which should improve both this man’s situation, and also ensure other homeless people in Halton are not treated in the same way.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council should apologise to the man and pay him a combined amount of £700 for the time and trouble and distress caused, along with a further £150 a month from March 2023 for a loss of accommodation he would otherwise have had access to.

It will also write to the man accepting the main housing duty and discuss whether he still needs temporary accommodation. It will register him on the council’s property bidding scheme, backdating to the date where the council should have accepted the main housing duty.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should review how it gives written decisions about whether it owes people a main housing duty, and also how it ensures people can access the property bidding scheme and its support for vulnerable users.

Article date: 15 May 2025

Concepción Gimeno se ha reunido con Isabel Alonso y Ricardo Benlloch, farmacéuticos de Borja y Gallur, respectivamente

La justicia de Aragón, Concepción Gimeno, se ha reunido este jueves con farmacéuticos rurales, quienes le han trasladado su queja por la regulación de las guardias. Según han expuesto Isabel Alonso y Ricardo Benlloch, farmacéuticos de Borja y Gallur, en municipios con centro de salud y más de una farmacia es obligatorio que una de ellas esté siempre de guardia.

En concreto, cuando en el municipio hay dos farmacias están se tienen que turnar para que siempre haya una de guardia las 24 horas del día, lo que al farmacéutico le supone trabajar más de 5.000 horas anuales y estar de guardia cada quince días, sin posibilidad de descanso cuando termina. Añaden que la atención que deben dispensar no se limita a situaciones de urgencia, puesto que están obligados a dispensar cualquier producto, con o sin receta, como puede ser un chupete, una pomada o la receta habitual de los pacientes crónicos.

Ante esta situación, han explicado a la justicia de Aragón su propuesta de modificar el Decreto 197/2009, de 17 de noviembre, del Gobierno de Aragón, que regula, entre otras cuestiones, las guardias de las farmacias comunitarias.

Los farmacéuticos han insistido en que la solución de contratar profesionales titulados no es factible por la escasez de farmacéuticos en el mercado laboral.

News and events of the Ombudsman’s Office in April 2025 (information in links mostly available in Latvian).

Apply for online training on sexual harassment

Interested parties are invited to apply for the free online training ‘Sexual harassment or NO=NO’ organised by the Ombudsman’s Office: training for general and professional secondary school managements and teachers will be held on 14 May at 14.00 – 16.00; for representatives of government institutions on 21 May at 14.00 – 16.00 and for representatives of local government institutions on 28 May at 14.00 – 16.00.

‘Election marathon’- lectures for pupils all over Latvia

In the end of April, with lectures on the importance of elections in democratic society in several schools in Latgale region the Ombudsman’s Office concluded the ‘election marathon’ for school youth.

Senior social care centre Liepa urgently needs to remedy violations: otherwise, their activity must be stopped

Senior social care centre ‘Liepa’ in Riga must immediately remedy breaches of hygiene and sanitary requirements, otherwise the supervisory authorities will terminate the contract for the provision of the service or even decide to suspend the service altogether.

Sexual remarks are not innocent among schoolchildren – young people may become liable according to the harshness of law

Sexual remarks, resentment and humiliation at school are not a rarity. The Ombudsman draws attention to the fact that this can be regarded not only as rudeness, but as sexual harassment, for which young people may incur administrative responsibility. But in some cases, even as sexual exploitation, according to criminal liability.

Winners of the Ombudsman’s moot court in human rights 2025 have been determined

On 26 April, with the victory of the team from the University of Latvia ‘Fluctus Legis’ (participants: Atis Alens Kabaļs, Elīna Freidenfelde, Krista Dzikoviča; trainer – Paula Kelly) the final of the Ombudsman’s moot court in human rights 2025 was celebrated.

Should nowadays there still be kindergarten and primary boarding schools?

Living in a boarding school is not the child’s second home. This is contrary to the right of the child to live in a family, which is the basis for their full development and preparation for an independent life. Unfortunately, several thousand children in our country are effectively deprived of regular contact with the family and the presence of a person of care and trust.

‘Barnahus’ in Latvia is still on its way to reaching the target

‘Barnahus’, created specifically for interviewing child victims of violence, should aim for the highest standards of professionalism, with the highest qualifications. Further efforts are still needed to achieve this goal.

Shadow Day at the Ombudsman’s Office

On 4 April, 12 students from Aizkraukle, Ādaži, Jelgava, Olaine, Riga, Talsi, Valmiera and Ventspils visited the Ombudsman’s Office during the traditional Shadow Day to get acquainted with the specifics of the professions of lawyer and communication or public relations specialist and their duties.

Deforestation can be compensated by afforestation elsewhere

The calculation of deforestation compensation for forest owners has become more proportionate and effective. One of the main changes is that residents will henceforth be able to choose between paying compensation or growing a forest elsewhere, thus compensating for the consequences of deforestation. This was also the Ombudsman’s recommendation almost three years ago.

How much does an official earn – a justified claim or just curiosity?

The requirement to publish the monthly remuneration calculated for officials on the homepage of the institution is a disproportionate interference in their private life and is incompatible with the Constitution. Already now, information on the remuneration is available to the public.

On May 19, 2025, the Public Defender of Georgia, Levan Ioseliani, presented the Legislative and Practical Analysis of Administration of Justice and Parole of Life-Sentenced Prisoners.

The special report reviews the procedures required for commutation, mitigation, termination of sentence or parole of life-sentenced prisoners in the Georgian penitentiary system, the international practice of extending leniency to them, and the compliance of guarantees and mechanisms available in Georgia with European standards.

In his speech, the Public Defender spoke about the shortcomings identified as a result of the study of criminal cases and the trends identified in the penitentiary system in relation to life-sentenced prisoners during the period of serving their sentences, and emphasized the importance of fair administration of justice.

The event was also addressed by Levan Tevzadze, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of Georgia and Chairman of the Criminal Chamber, Rati Ionatamishvili, Chairman of the Human Rights and Civil Integration Committee of the Parliament of Georgia, and Giorgi Dgebuadze, Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia.

After the presentation, the attendees held a discussion on the issues reflected in the report.