Council apologises to couple

A COUPLE who were unhappy with assessments made by Redcar and Cleveland Council and actions in relation to so-called ‘direct payments’ have received an apology after their complaint was upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

- By STUART ARNOLD Local democracy reporter

The unnamed couple - ‘Mr and Mrs X' - said the local authority were “overly restrictive” in terms of their management of direct payments - money paid directly to bank accounts for people entitled to adult social care to arrange and pay for their own support services. This had caused them stress and anxiety, they claimed, and the council has agreed to pay £500 “in recognition of the uncertainty and avoidable time and trouble caused to them in pursuing this matter”.

The ombudsman investigated events which caused the dispute going back to October 2023 and determined faults causing injustice in certain aspects as a result.

The woman in the case - ‘Mrs X’ - was described as the carer for her husband, but was also subject to a carer's assessment of her own. She took up matters with the ombudsman after not being satisfied with the council’s response to an initial complaint lodged with them.

The ombudsman found fault in: