North Yorkshire Council has agreed to improve the way it deals with Disabled Facilities Grant applications after a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation discovered it had a significant backlog of cases.

While investigating a complaint from a resident about the time it was taking for his home to be adapted to meet his child’s needs, the Ombudsman found the council had a backlog of nearly 700 referrals that had not yet been approved for adaptations.

The average time the council was taking to approve a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) application was 262 days, when government guidance states even the most complex cases should take no longer than 180.

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

“Disabled Facilities Grants can make a real difference, helping people stay in the homes they love and live in with comfort, dignity, and independence for as long as possible.

“However the council is taking too long to approve grants to make this possible, and nearly 700 Disabled people across North Yorkshire are living under a cloud of uncertainty, not knowing whether the adaptations they may need are going to be given the green light.

“I am pleased North Yorkshire Council has agreed this is not acceptable. I hope its action plan to tackle this situation, and the focus councillors will now place on this issue, will ensure Disabled people across the area will have their applications decided more swiftly going forwards."

The Ombudsman issued a report and a number of Good Practice Guides for local councils over the summer focusing on housing issues affecting Disabled people, including best practice advice for officers on DFGs.

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 has agreed to apologise to the original complainant and pay him £500 to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty caused. It will also explore all options for progressing the man’s application without further delay.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will draw up an action plan with timescales to reduce the delay in dealing with DFG referrals to ensure it is meeting timescales.

It will also provide twice yearly updates on its website of the progress it is making to clear the backlog.

Article date: 21 August 2025