Hundreds of disabled facilities grants delayed

Disabled people can apply for a grant if they need to make changes to their homes

Hundreds of disabled people who need to adapt their homes have had to "wait under a cloud of uncertainty" amid a "significant" council backlog.

Following a complaint, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found North Yorkshire Council was not approving applications for the Disabled Facilities Grant, which pays for alterations such as stairlifts and ramps, within the accepted time frame.

The council accepted the findings and said it would create an action plan to reduce delays in dealing with grant referrals.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said she hoped this would ensure applications would be decided "more swiftly going forwards".

The investigation found North Yorkshire Council had a backlog of nearly 700 referrals that had not yet been approved for adaptations.

Ms Somal said: "Disabled Facilities Grants can make a real difference, helping people stay in the homes they love and live in with comfort, dignity, and independence for as long as possible.

"However, the council is taking too long to approve grants to make this possible, and nearly 700 disabled people across North Yorkshire are living under a cloud of uncertainty, not knowing whether the adaptations they may need are going to be given the green light."

'Robust internal processes'

The discovery came after a resident complained about the length of time it was taking for his home to be adapted to meet his child's needs.

The average time the council was taking to approve a Disabled Facilities Grant application was 262 days, when government guidance states even the most complex cases should take no longer than 180.

In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the original complainant and pay him £500 to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty caused.

It will also explore all options for progressing his application without further delay.

The council's corporate director of community development, Nic Harne, said: "We know how important the grant is in enabling families to stay together.

"Ensuring our internal processes are robust and looking at ways to speed up how housing associations, contractors and other external partners work with us to get plans progressed sooner will be key to these improvements."

In addition to the action plan, North Yorkshire Council would also provide biannual updates on its website to showcase the progress it was making to clear the backlog, the ombudsman said.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.