Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint how the Council carried out work on her property to make it more accessible. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains the Council has taken too long to complete works to make her property more accessible. Ms X also complains about the quality of the work carried out and says that it does not meet her needs.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
3. 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. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Ms X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Part of Ms X’s complaint is late. A complaint is late when it has taken someone more than 12 months to complain to the Ombudsman. I have considered whether to exercise our discretion to investigate this part of the complaint, but I have seen no good reasons to do so. In the circumstances, I consider it would have been reasonable for Ms X to bring the complaint to us sooner. I will consider the matters from October 2024, 12 months before Ms X’s complaint to the Ombudsman.
7. Ms X had asked for work to be done at her property to make it more accessible for her with her medical conditions. Ms X complains there was unreasonable delay between the Council agreeing to do the work, and the work being carried out. There was no significant delay in the time it took for the Council to agree to do the work and the work being carried out. Therefore, there is insufficient injustice arising from this part of the complaint.
8. Ms X also complains about the quality of the work completed.
9. I have looked at the documents for the adaptation. The work was planned with input from Ms X and her Occupational Therapist. The planned work was agreed to by Ms X. Once the work was completed Ms X said she was satisfied with the work completed on feedback provided to the contractors. Ms X also stated in a later occupational therapy report that she had been happy with the work that had been done. If Ms X had been unhappy with the work done, this would have been a suitable time for her to bring up her concerns and there is insufficient evidence of fault it the Council’s planning of the works or acts to check the work quality following completion.
10. The Council have agreed to further work because of Ms X’s changing circumstances.
11. Ms X also complains about behaviour of contractors while they completed the work. We will not investigate this part of the complaint as we would not achieve a worthwhile result.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman