Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (18 011 747)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 12-Nov-2019

Summary: There was fault by the Council. It did not consider whether it could waive the amount repayable for a Disabled Facilities Grant on the grounds that Mrs B was selling the property due to the impact on her wellbeing. This has left Mrs B uncertain as to whether the Council properly considered her situation. The Council should reconsider Mrs B’s request and write to her with the reasons for its decision.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (18 018 965)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 31-Oct-2019

Summary: The Council passed on Mr X’s personal information to another organisation without his consent when it was dealing with his application for a Disabled Facilities Grant. This was fault and it caused Mr X distress. Mr X did not wish to have any further contact with that organisation following a complaint he had made about the conduct of a staff member. The Council has agreed to provide a remedy for this part of Mr X’s complaint. The other parts of Mr X’s complaint have not been upheld.

London Borough of Tower Hamlets (17 012 835)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 14-Oct-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman finds no evidence of fault causing injustice by the Council in its consideration of Mr X’s request for the Council to build an extension to his home to meet the needs of his disabled son.

Malvern Hills District Council (18 009 593)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 14-Oct-2019

Summary: Mr G complains about disabled facilities grant works undertaken on his home in 2014/5. We find fault by the Council in not knowing of Mr G’s complaint until 2018, when it should have known sooner. This caused injustice to Mr G in time and trouble spent using the wrong complaint procedure. The Council has agreed action we consider will provide for a fair remedy to the complaint, explained at the end of this statement.

Northumberland County Council (18 018 034)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 02-Oct-2019

Summary: Mrs B says the Council delayed completing adaptation works at her property and failed to offer compensation to reflect damage and stress during the building works. The Council’s target for the works was unrealistic and further delays meant Mrs B and her family had to live in unsuitable circumstances and have one family member living elsewhere for longer than they should have. An apology and payment to Mrs B is satisfactory remedy for the injustice caused.

Hertfordshire County Council (19 003 646)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 27-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about delay in completing an occupational therapy assessment which was essential for an adaptation for Mr Y. He says this caused the process to take much longer than it should, and Mr Y’s needs were not properly met for longer than necessary. The Ombudsman finds the Council at fault and recommends it pay Mr Y £350 and ensure assessments are not delayed in future.

Charnwood Borough Council (19 007 026)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled facilities grants 25-Sep-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Ms A’s complaint about the Council placing a charge on the property when it agreed to fund adaptations through a Disabled Facilities Grant in 2015. This is because there is no evidence of fault with the Council’s actions warranting an Ombudsman investigation. Ms A can ask the court to consider whether she is legally liable for the charge on her land and it would be reasonable for her to do this.

Hertfordshire County Council (19 003 643)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled facilities grants 25-Sep-2019

Summary: Mrs X complains the Council took more than 5 years to assess and complete a disabled facilities’ grant for her mother and the final adaptations do not meet her long-term needs. The Ombudsman cannot investigate her complaint because it is too late. She also complains the Council was late in responding to her complaint. The Ombudsman does not consider Mrs X has suffered a significant injustice on this point which warrants our involvement.

Hampshire County Council (18 017 493)

Statement Not upheld Disabled facilities grants 17-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr B applied for grant funding for a downstairs toilet. There is no evidence of fault in the way the Council assessed Mr B’s eligibility for funding and in the way it made further enquiries from medical professionals.

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (19 003 270)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Disabled facilities grants 13-Sep-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that the Council withdrew a discretionary accessible homes grant which had been offered by its predecessor local authority. This is because there is insufficient evidence of administrative fault by the Council.