A family in North London got paid more than £9,000 because the council took forever to give their son the care he needed. The Local Government Ombudsman said Brent Council messed up by making the family wait so long — like, what were they thinking? The council first offered £5,150 in compensation, but then upped it to £9,150 because they finally realized how much the delay sucked for the family.
Mr. Y’s care plan was reviewed in September 2022, and it turned out his incontinence was causing a ton of laundry that his family couldn’t handle. The plan suggested a cleaner come twice a week for four hours total to help with the laundry, along with other necessary care increases.
Despite agreeing to changes in December 2022, the council didn’t actually make them happen until October 2023. They even cut down the support hours after removing overnight help. The council blamed the delays on waiting for a decision from the NHS, but that doesn’t excuse the mess they made.
Mr. Y’s mom, Ms. X, was offered £150 for the council’s terrible response and £5,000 for the care delays. But that money was supposed to go towards some debt related to Mr. Y’s direct payments misuse — like, what a mess.
The family spent 80 hours a week providing care that should’ve been covered by Mr. Y’s budget, which totally messed up their plans. The council was told to pay the family £9,000 for the injustice caused by the delays and give Ms. X £150 for the stress they caused her. Brent Council said sorry and promised to do better in the future, but like, they better keep their word this time.
