Newham Council to review travel pass scheme after hip op patient rejected

Newham Council paid compensation to the man

More than 200 applications for free travel passes are to be reviewed after a London council turned down a man awaiting a hip replacement.

A Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report found the way Newham Council carried out assessments was not in line with guidance.

There was also no specific policy in place for determining applications for Freedom Passes, the report found.

The council has apologised to the man and paid him £400 in compensation.

Freedom Passes offer concessionary travel passes across the Transport for London network.

Under the Transport Act 2000, passengers over 65 are entitled to concessionary travel, as well as any passenger a council decides is disabled.

The man, who is not named in the ombudsman's report, had his application rejected despite including supporting documents from the NHS about his disability, and the fact he was on a waiting list for a hip replacement.

He appealed against the council's decision but was again rejected, and then complained to the ombudsman.

As well as saying sorry and compensating him, the council is also requesting relevant evidence from the man in order to reconsider his application, the ombudsman said.

Following the finding, the council has agreed to produce a new policy in line with Department for Transport guidance and publish this on its website.

The council has said it will also review a further 238 applications the council refused in the financial year 2022-23 in line with its new policy.

Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: "We expect councils to follow guidance unless they have a valid reason not to.

"In this case, the council's assessment process lacked transparency and officers did not consider whether it was necessary to offer the man an independent medical assessment before deciding his application."

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