Westmorland and Furness Council (24 007 797)

Statement Upheld Domiciliary care 12-May-2025

Summary: Mr X complained that the Council made hasty arrangements for his mother’s care and failed to manage the commissioned service properly. There is evidence the Council’s commissioned service did not always provide the care for which it was contracted. The Council, which accepts some delays in the complaints process, has also offered Mr X £500 and now agrees to go further to recognise the injustice caused by a poor service.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 015 094)

Statement Upheld Alternative provision 03-Jun-2025

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to act on his request for a reassessment of his daughter’s Education, Health and Care Plan, failure to provide alternative provision, and delay paying for a Speech and Language Therapy report. We find the Council at fault causing avoidable distress, uncertainty, and denied and delayed appeal rights. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr X, and make service improvements.

Westmorland and Furness Council (23 015 689)

Statement Upheld Licensing 09-Jun-2025

Summary: Mr X complained the Council failed to follow procedure when considering an application for a premises licence. The Council granted the licence. Mr X says the new pub creates a noise nuisance. The Ombudsman has found the Council at fault for failing to consult with the responsible authority for planning. It is unlikely the planning authority would have objected to the application; the result would have been the same. There is therefore no injustice to Mr X.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 019 792)

Statement Upheld Refuse and recycling 05-Aug-2025

Summary: Ms B complained the Council delayed providing her with domestic waste bins which meant she had to pay for a commercial waste collection while also paying council tax. The Council has agreed to refund the amount Ms B paid for the commercial waste collection. That is a satisfactory remedy and I therefore do not intend to pursue the complaint further.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 013 697)

Statement Upheld Safeguarding 22-Sep-2025

Summary: Ms X complains the Council did not properly investigate a safeguarding referral. She also complaints it delayed providing her with a copy of its report and communicated with her poorly. She says this caused her and her family avoidable and unnecessary distress. We find no fault with the Council’s safeguarding investigation. We find fault with the Council’s communication and delay providing Ms X with the report, which caused Ms X injustice. We are satisfied the action taken by the Council has remedied the injustice to Ms X.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 007 170)

Statement Upheld Other 01-Oct-2025

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about business rates relief. This part of the complaint was brought to us late and there is no good reason to investigate now. We have upheld Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s poor communication. The Council have agreed to resolve the complaint by offering a suitable remedy for this fault.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 021 622)

Statement Upheld Other 13-Oct-2025

Summary: We have found that both councils – Westmorland & Furness and Cumberland – caused delays in their handling of Mr X’s linked complaints about children’s social care. Both will now apologise to Mr X and will take action to improve their respective services. Cumberland will also make a symbolic payment which recognises
Mr X’s likely distress.

Westmorland and Furness Council (24 019 797)

Statement Upheld Other 06-Nov-2025

Summary: Ms X complained how the Council’s Local Authority Designated Officer handled a safeguarding referral made about her. She also complained about the Council’s handling of her complaint. We find the Council at fault for not correctly following the Local Authority Designated Officer process and not communicating in an open and transparent way with Ms X during the investigation process. This caused Ms X uncertainty and distress. The Council has agreed to apologise to Ms X, make service improvements, and give Ms X an opportunity to respond to the allegations.