Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to carry out an assessment of transport needs before making a decision to withdraw transport. The Council has already offered a remedy in line with our guidance and our involvement would not add anything to this investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council withdrew his daughter’s, Miss Y, transport to the day centre she attends without proper consideration.
2. He says this has left them at a financial loss because Miss Y’s mobility payments are not sufficient to cover the transport costs for this and her other needs.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. Miss Y attends a day centre three days a week. She is transported there from her supported living accommodation by taxi which the Council was paying for. It reviewed Miss Y’s care plan in November 2024. Following this review the Council decided to stop paying for her taxi. It said this was because Miss Y received mobility payments which should fund her transport needs.
7. Mr X complained to the Council as he did not feel it had carried out a proper assessment. He explained that Miss Y’s mobility payments also covered the transport to medical appointments and other essential activities. He felt the amount provided was not sufficient to also pay the costs required for using the car to attend the day centre.
8. We will not investigate this complaint as we could not add anything to the previous investigation. The Council has offered to carry out a new assessment to ensure it correctly considered Miss Y’s transport needs and agreed to pay for her transport costs for three months while it arranged the review. This is in line with the Ombudsman’s remedy guidance and we would be unlikely to add anything further.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we could not to any previous investigation by the organisation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman