Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council (21 001 710)

Statement Not upheld Disabled facilities grants 10-Oct-2021

Summary: Mrs F complained about the Council’s handling of her Disabled Facilities Grant application. We have discontinued our investigation because the Council has agreed to do the works she asked for. Mrs F is happy with the Council’s actions and our investigation cannot achieve anything further.

North Somerset Council (20 009 345)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 06-Oct-2021

Summary: Miss Y complains about the Council’s refusal to remove a through-floor lift that it fitted as part of a Disabled Facilities Grant for her son. She says her son no longer needs the lift. She says her son is afraid of the lift and the situation has negatively affected her and her son’s mental health. The Ombudsman has decided to uphold Miss Y’s complaint. This is because the Council failed to clearly respond in a timely manner to Miss Y’s request for the removal of the through-lift. This caused Miss Y distress and confusion. To remedy this injustice, the Council has agreed to apologise to Miss Y, provide her with a clear timeframe by which it will make a decision about the removal of the lift and make a payment to her. The Council has also agreed to make a service improvement to provide clear guidance to staff on how to handle requests for removals of adaptations.

Middlesbrough Borough Council (20 010 090)

Statement Not upheld Disabled facilities grants 05-Oct-2021

Summary: Mr & Mrs D complain about the Council's decision not to award a Disabled Facilities Grant to fund a loft conversion. We have found no fault by the Council.

Wychavon District Council (20 008 551)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 04-Oct-2021

Summary: Mr X complained about poor quality workmanship and delays during building work and adaptations to his home, funded by a Disabled Facilities Grant. The Council was at fault. There was poor workmanship which, along with delays, caused Mr X considerable inconvenience and distress. The Council accepted it was at fault and has already acted to complete the work to the required standard. It proposed a remedy payment to Mr X of £350 in recognition of the distress caused. This is an appropriate amount and it will now offer this to Mr X. It has also agreed to take action to improve its services to prevent future injustice to others.

Torbay Council (20 009 924)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 23-Sep-2021

Summary: Mx Y complained on behalf of Ms Z about the Council’s handling of her Disabled Facilities Grant. Mx Y says the adaptations did not work properly and did not meet the requirements of the contract when the Council signed them off. Mx Y also complained about the Council’s handling of the complaint. Mx Y says the Council’s actions caused Ms Z unnecessary distress and anxiety. We have found fault by the Council and recommend the Council apologises to Ms Z and makes a payment to address the injustice identified.

North Yorkshire County Council (20 008 766)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 19-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr X complained the Council should not have approved a disabled facilities grant for adaptations for his home in 2012. He said the Council’s actions have had a negative effect on his son Y’s mental health and limited his physical development. There was no fault in the Council’s actions relating to its approval of the grant. There was fault in the Council’s complaint handling; it failed to respond to Mr X’s complaint within the required timescales. Mr X did not suffer a significant injustice due to this fault.

Dartford Borough Council (20 006 849)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 16-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s decision to request repayment of a Disabled Facilities Grant paid to his late mother Mrs F after Mr X sold the property following her death. The Council was not at fault. It considered relevant law, guidance and the circumstances at the time when it decided it was appropriate to demand part repayment of the grant. The Council was at fault for the delays and failures in responding to Mr X’s concerns. It agreed to apologise and pay him £100 for the frustration and time and trouble that caused him.

Guildford Borough Council (20 005 014)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 15-Sep-2021

Summary: Ms X and Mr Y complain there was delay by the Council in flagging up poor workmanship funded by a Disabled Facilities Grant. Once the issues were logged the Council replaced the contractor and rectified the works. However, there was some delay by the Council in progressing this. The Council put some things right by organising various repairs to the property. Several issues remain outstanding which has added to Ms X’s and Mr Y’s distress, inconvenience and frustration. The Contractor is responsible for the poor workmanship. The contract for the building works is between Mr Y and the contractor. We have not looked at this as it is not within the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman. The Council will apologise, make financial payments and service improvements to remedy the injustice caused.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (20 013 694)

Statement Not upheld Disabled facilities grants 15-Sep-2021

Summary: Mr X complained that works to his home carried out under a Disabled Facilities Grant were of poor quality and led to problems in his home. Mr X would like the Council to remedy the outstanding issues. There is no evidence of fault in the way the Council facilitated the works at Mr X’s property or in the way it responded to his reports of defects and carried out remedial works.

Wellingborough Borough Council (20 011 300)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 14-Sep-2021

Summary: Mrs B says the Council delayed considering her application for a disabled facilities grant, failed to communicate properly with her about the application, ignored recommendations from the occupational therapist, suggested an alternative which would create secondary hazards and offered a cash alternative without providing details. The Council delayed telling Mrs B about its decision in relation to part of the grant application. There is no fault by the Council in the other issues raised. An apology and reminder to officers is satisfactory remedy for the area where the Council was at fault.