Mrs A complained about how the Council had handled her initial application for a Disabled Facilities Grant (“DFG”). She said that it had not considered all options within the property to provide the required adaptations. As a result, she had applied for a DFG through the Council’s “reactive” route which meant obtaining her own plans and costings. However, there had been delays in her submitting the relevant paperwork, in part owing to her ill health. The Council had therefore closed the grant application on time grounds.
Having assessed the complaint, the Ombudsman could not see evidence, in relation to the initial DFG application, that all options had been discussed with Mrs A, or that this had been addressed in the response to her complaint. In light of the specific circumstances in this case and in order to progress the current DFG application, the Council agreed to allow an extension of time by 1 month to enable Mrs A to submit the relevant paperwork.