Derby girl misses out on education because of council delays The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised Derby City Council after a girl with autism missed out on around 18 months of special education support because of council delays. The girl was diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder in 2015 and was experiencing increasing anxiety, which eventually led to her refusing to g ...

Council fails to carry out financial assessment following Ombudsman investigation North Yorkshire County Council has failed to carry out a financial assessment it had agreed to undertake following an earlier upheld complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. The council had agreed to complete the disability related expenditure assessment of a young woman, to include her housing a ...

Ombudsman annual review highlights widening cracks in council complaints systems The ‘widening cracks’ in local government complaint handling are being highlighted in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review of complaints 2020-2021, published today. Over the past year, the Ombudsman has upheld a greater proportion of investigations – 67% – than ever before. This continues an ...

Redbridge council continues to fail man with severe learning disability The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is this week issuing two separate reports into the way London Borough of Redbridge has failed the family of a 20 year old man with Special Educational Needs. In a rare move, the Ombudsman is publishing the two reports on the same day to highlight the repeated problems the family ...

Essex County Council to reconsider assessment of Disability Related Expenses The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Essex County Council at fault in how it considered two separate women’s Disability Related Expenses (DREs). The women both have Court Appointed Deputies to make decisions about their financial affairs, because their disabilities mean they can not do this for themse ...

Daventry District Council fails to tackle industrial noise complaint properly Some homeowners on a new housing development in the Daventry area have been plagued by excessive noise from a nearby industrial estate because the district council has not done enough to investigate their concerns, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reports. The Ombudsman was asked to investigate the concern ...

Somerset County Council fails to complete assessment of woman’s needs Somerset County Council has been asked to complete its assessment of a disabled woman’s needs following an earlier complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Following that complaint, the council had agreed to reassess the woman’s needs properly and consider her eligibility under the Care Act 2014. However, th ...

Kent couple lost valuable time together because of council errors A Kent couple lost valuable time together after the council placed one partner in a care home against her wishes following a hospital stay, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. Before the hospital stay, the man had been looking after the woman, who had previously suffered brain damage, without help at their hom ...

Northumberland council asked to look again at man’s disability expenses The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked Northumberland County Council to reconsider how it supports a man with disabilities after its failings left him unable to go on holiday. The man, who needs full-time care, said the council did not consider holiday travel and accommodation costs for his care worker as ‘d ...

Staffordshire council missed multiple deadlines reviewing girl’s special needs plans Staffordshire council’s consistently poor administration of a county teen’s special educational needs plan left her college unable to properly support her, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The girl, who has autism spectrum disorder and physical disabilities, moved to a new college from he ...