LGO criticises council over three-year delay in disabled facilities grant

The Local Government Ombudsman has criticised Lewes District Council for taking almost three years to process and agree a disabled facilities grant.

The Ombudsman, Tony Redmond, said: “[The council] failed to take an effective lead at the start and failed to provide clear information to [the complainant] and to partner organisations.”

The complainant had applied for disabled facilities grant to make adaptations to her home. These alterations were required to help meet the needs of her disabled daughter, who had to be carried up and down stairs.

The child was aged four when her mother first made the application in 2006 but naturally became bigger and heavier before the extension was completed in 2009.

The Ombudsman acknowledged that several organisations were involved in the process, and that it was a complex case with difficult issues that took time to resolve. However, he said Lewes, as the lead body, was responsible for some avoidable delay.

Finding the council guilty of maladministration causing injustice, he recommended the council apologies to the complainant and pay her £1,000 compensation.

He also said the council should review its procedures for working with partner organisations and communicating effectively with them and with applicants.