London Borough of Southwark (25 015 221)
Category : Adult care services > Disabled facilities grants
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 Feb 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to signpost Mr X to its disabled facilities grant. This is because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council failed to signpost him to its disabled facilities grant when he needed adaptations for his bathroom.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained the Council failed to make him aware of its disabled facilities grant (DFG) when he needed adaptations in 2023 and 2024 to safely use his bathroom.
- The Council told Mr X that whilst he has several health issues, he was assessed in 2023 and was not eligible for a DFG. The Council told Mr X it informed him of this at the time and invited him to update it if his needs changed.
- Mr X wants us to find the Council at fault. The Ombudsman will not exercise discretion to investigate complaints regarding events that took place more than 12 months ago unless there are good reasons to do so. The Council has confirmed Mr X was not eligible for a DFG at the point he needed the adaptations. Several years have passed since then and it is not reasonable to expect the Council to contact Mr X to check whether his needs have changed. There is no good reason to exercise excretion to investigate these events.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman