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 ...

Elderly man suffers after council splits him from his wife An elderly couple of 59 years were split up with little regard for their welfare by Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The couple were separated when the wife was discharged to a care home after leaving hospital. The husband was left to live in the family home with the help o ...

Child left in pain for years because of council delays A young person spent three years in unnecessary pain because delays by Lambeth council meant they could not have a crucial operation, a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation has found. The child has significant medical needs and uses a wheelchair. The child was living in a property secured by London Borough of Lambeth with ...

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 ...

Child at risk of gang violence because of council failings A four-year-old child was placed at risk of gang violence because Croydon council did not do enough to check on them and their mother when their uncle was released from prison and allowed to live with them, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The child’s young mother left foster care in 2016 shortly after her 18th bi ...

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 ...

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 ...

London council failed to review its support for disabled children Councils should respond to all recommendations made during independent complaints investigations, says the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after it upheld a mother’s complaint about London Borough of Waltham Forest. The issue is being highlighted after the mother of a disabled child asked the Ombudsman to investigate the ...

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 ...

Bexley council failed to learn from previous school transport complaints London Borough of Bexley has been heavily criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after it failed to make agreed improvements to the way it decides school transport applications for children with disabilities. While the council implemented some of the changes, the Ombudsman still has concerns about the c ...