Birmingham City Council (24 017 850)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Ms X complained about the quality of works carried out by Council approved contractors under a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). There was no fault in how the Council carried out the works. The Council was at fault for a delay in responding to Ms X’s complaint about the works. It agreed to apologise for the distress and uncertainty the delay caused. However, when it did respond and investigate Ms X’s concerns it did so without fault.

Salford City Council (25 001 048)

Statement Upheld Disabled facilities grants 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Miss X complains the Council did not provide the necessary adaptations to her property to assist her to care for her teenage daughter, who is severely disabled. She complains the matter has been stressful. We found the Council failed to take and communicate decisions in a timely way, and it did not have regard for all the facts. This caused delay and meant adaptations were not implemented. We recommended an apology, a meeting to explain the Council’s position and a payment to reflect the impact of the period the family have had without suitable adaptations.

London Borough of Havering (25 002 213)

Statement Upheld Assessment and care plan 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Miss Y complains about the Council’s communication regarding Direct Payments and client contributions. She says her allocated social worker did not provide clear advice, which led to a care provider seeking payment for unpaid invoices. In our view, the Council failed to act promptly once it became aware that Miss Y was not paying her client contributions. This delay allowed the debt on the account to increase. The Council has agreed to apologise and write to Miss Y to confirm the amount and status of any money owed.

Norfolk County Council (25 004 763)

Statement Not upheld Assessment and care plan 03-Feb-2026

Summary: Ms X complained about the Council’s decision to stop her direct payments without prior notice. She also complained the Council left her without care for several months after agreeing to complete a reassessment. We have not investigated Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to stop her direct payments without prior notice as it is late, and there are no good reasons to investigate it. The Council was not at fault for how it handled the reassessment of Ms X’s care and support needs.

North Yorkshire Council (25 006 953)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Domiciliary care 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint about the actions of a care provider acting on behalf of the Council. This is because Miss X began court action about them. The Ombudsman cannot consider cases about matters which have been to court.

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (25 012 061)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council replacing him as the appointee for his sister and the Social Worker’s poor communication. This is because the complaint is late, there are other bodies better placed to consider the complaint, we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X wants and there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Durham County Council (25 012 799)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Assessment and care plan 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s views of the sufficiency of the care provision it assessed for Mr X and included in his care plan. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s actions to warrant investigation.

North Yorkshire Council (25 013 211)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Charging 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled concerns about a Lasting Power of Attorney and how it considered a complaint about outstanding fees for care. There is insufficient evidence of fault to justify investigation and we could not achieve the outcome Miss X and Mr Z seek.

Sheffield City Council (25 015 545)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Safeguarding 03-Feb-2026

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint where Mr X’s relative should live because this will be determined in court. Also, there is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s response to Mr X’s safeguarding concerns to justify investigating.

Medway Council (24 020 147)

Statement Upheld Charging 02-Feb-2026

Summary: Miss X complained the Council put care in place for her grandmother despite making it clear they did not want it or to pay for it. We did not find the Council at fault for how it initially considered her grandmother’s wish for continued care. We found fault it did not complete a financial assessment before starting the care, causing distress. It was also at fault for delay with Miss X’s complaint causing frustration. The Council has agreed to apologise to Miss X and her grandmother to remedy the injustice. The Council has also agreed to update us on the progress and completion of an online cost estimator on its website to support care planning.