West Sussex County Council will be inviting people to get in touch if they think the council's assessment of their needs has left them unable to access their day centre. This comes after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman highlighted concerns about how the council considered a family’s travel circumstances.

The council has agreed to put up notices in day centres to highlight that users may be eligible for a reassessment if they think they have not had their personal circumstances properly considered during their reviews, similar to the family in this case.

The family complained to the Ombudsman that the council stopped paying for a man’s transport to his day centre when the cost increased.

They said the council did not fully take into account their circumstances before deciding that the man should pay for the travel out of his Personal Independence Payment, because he had a Motability vehicle.

The family told the council they could not transport the man to the day centre, as the mother did not drive because of her own health concerns, and both parents had caring responsibilities for the man’s grandmother, who lived with them and needed two people to help her.

This meant the family had to find £80 per week to get the man from the day centre, putting strain on their budget.

The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council’s transport policy at fault, for having blanket directions that transport would not be funded if the recipient had a Motability car. This meant the council had no flexibility to take into account people’s individual circumstances when making a decision. The Ombudsman also found flaws in the council’s appeal process, including links to documents that did not work.

Mrs Amerdeep Clarke, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“The council has told us it did not review the family’s circumstances solely to reduce their support, but its notes provide no evidence it asked any questions about services other than transport to the day centre.

“In this case the council failed to look at the man – or his family’s circumstances – holistically, and did not consider alternative options for them, including moving the man to a nearer day centre, or suggesting alternative arrangements for getting him there.

“I am concerned that other people in the county may have been affected by decisions hampered by this restrictive policy, so I have asked the council to highlight this to day centre users.

“I am pleased the council has accepted the recommendations I have made, and has already started to review this family’s situation.”

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 family and pay them £250 for the uncertainty caused. It will also, if not already completed, review the man’s needs, and complete carer’s assessments for his parents.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will review parts of its transport policy so it is in line with the Care Act 2014, and provide a notice at local day centres encouraging others who think they may have been affected to contact the council for more information.

Article date: 23 October 2025