on the lessons that can be learnt from our complaints about end of life care given in care homes and in the home.
Category : Adult care services > Disabled facilities grants Decision : Closed after initial enquiries Decision date : 11 Mar 2026 The complaint
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
H ow I considered this complaint M y assessment Final decision
The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Disabled Facilities Grant because there is not enough evidence to justify investigation.
The complaint
Mr Y complained the Council has carried out inadequate works under a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) in 2021, which has led to contractors repeatedly needing to carry out work which has not fixed the issue.
Mr Y says the issue has caused inconvenience, disruption and damp issues.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended) We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information Mr Y provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr Y’s bathroom was installed under a DFG in 2021. Since 2023, Mr Y has complained of problems including dampness, water leaks and problems with the flooring. The Council has repeatedly sent contractors to the property and the bathroom has had work done to it several times.
In the most recent inspections in 2025, the Council could not find evidence of a problem. The Council has responded to Mr Y’s complaint, explaining this and saying it will no longer investigate such issues.
We cannot question whether a council’s decision is right or wrong because the complainant disagrees with it. We must consider if the Council was at fault in how it made the decision.
Here, the Council has inspected the bathroom, carried out necessary repairs and where it has found no issue has explained its reasons to Mr Y. While Mr Y may disagree, the Council has acted appropriately and concluded based on the professional experience of suitable contractors. Consequently, there is not enough evidence of fault in the decision-making process to justify investigating the complaint. We will not investigate.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint because there is not enough evidence to justify investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman