Council agrees payout after LGO finds elderly woman misled over works

A local authority has agreed to pay £2,000 in compensation after it misled a vulnerable elderly woman over roof works.

The payout by City of York Council follows an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin, who found that the authority’s provision of assistance on roofing works to the woman’s home was inadequate.

The woman (“Mrs Hazel”) was over 60 and had some learning difficulties. Her sister-in-law helped with forms or anything requiring a signature.

Mrs Hazel had been wary of using the council’s services again after previous work on her kitchen had not gone to plan. She also insulated her loft a few years before.

In 2009 she obtained quotations for re-roofing and asked York if any assistance was available. The council told her she might be eligible for a ‘home appreciation loan’ for roof works.

Its officers also knew that Mrs Hazel required help with paperwork and that she preferred her sister-in-law to attend meetings.

However, York and its agency:

• included solid insulation in the schedule of work even though the property already had adequate insulation;
• misled Mrs Hazel into believing this was a requirement of her home appreciation loan; and
• allowed the works to be signed off when she did not know what document she had signed.

Recording a finding of maladministration causing injustice, Dr Martin concluded that this, and other issues, caused the woman “a significant degree of distress and anxiety”.

York accepted the LGO’s recommendation that it should pay compensation for the cost of the insulation which was not installed, and for the distress, anxiety and time and trouble this had caused her.