Foster carers left out of pocket when child moved schools Gateshead council will apologise to a couple after it insisted they bear the costs of taking their disabled foster child to a special school agreed by the council, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. The Ombudsman found the council wrong not to provide free school transport for the boy, who has multiple disabilities an ...

Residents in Stockport Town Centre incorrectly declined parking permits by council Residents in new-build properties in Stockport town centre should be eligible for parking permits after an Ombudsman investigation found the council was unfairly declining them. The Ombudsman investigated the council’s permit restrictions after a man complained he had bought a flat on a road identified on the counc ...

Slough woman unable to access upstairs because of council grant delay A disabled Slough woman has been forced to sleep, eat and wash in her downstairs living room because the council took too long to decide whether she can have a stairlift. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman heard that the woman, who relies on care workers for personal care, has been unable to access her bedroom and b ...

Lancashire County Council criticised for failing to support vulnerable children properly Lancashire County Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for not providing the right support for two vulnerable siblings when they moved to live with their aunt and uncle. The siblings, who had a turbulent background and had spent time in foster care, became subject to a ...

Council leaves vulnerable Norfolk man without enough care before he died A Norfolk woman was left to care for an elderly vulnerable friend for months before he died while the county council delayed meeting his care, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The woman had said she was happy to provide some care for her friend, who had dementia and a number of physical health condit ...

Ombudsman finds council placed homeless disabled child too far from school Wandsworth council has apologised to a homeless mother after placing her in unsuitable accommodation two hours away from her disabled child’s school. At first, the mother – who also has mobility issues – and her family was placed in a flat which was accessed via a rusted external staircase in September 2021. At one point t ...

Teenager with autism misses start of term when council cancels transport A teenager who attends a special school missed the start of the school year because Surrey County Council did not tell his mum she needed to reapply for transport, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The Ombudsman upheld the mother’s complaint and in addition to asking the council to put things right fo ...

Council agrees to review its school transport policy following Ombudsman investigation Sandwell council has agreed to review its school transport policy after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found flaws in the way it considered a family’s application for travel support. The parents applied for transport for their son, who has special needs and attends a school more than three miles ...

Dorset County Council leaves boy with special needs without proper education A boy with autism was left without proper education for two years by the former Dorset County Council after it failed to provide him with appropriate alternatives when it became clear mainstream school was not suitable for him. The boy, who also has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), started secondary schoo ...

More than 6,000 noise nuisance complaints not investigated by London council Lambeth council has agreed to look into long-standing noise nuisance issues after officers admitted, during a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation, it had turned down more than 6,300 complaints. The agreement has come following the Ombudsman’s investigation into a woman’s complaint about the way the c ...