Disabled boy forced to wait years for essential home adaptations over London council failings

A disabled south London boy was left waiting around three-and-a-half years for adaptations to his home after council delays.

A watchdog found Wandsworth Council did not complete vital works to the boy’s home that were recommended in 2022 until this year.

A new Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report said the boy’s mum, named Mrs X, reported the delays caused his independence and mental health to decline as he could not access the aids and adaptations he needed.

The watchdog told the council to pay her £1,400 overall to recognise the distress they were caused.

Mrs X complained to the council in March 2024 that it had failed to provide aids and complete adaptations that had been recommended to support her son, referred to as Y, in an assessment in November 2022.

The council’s complaints panel in May 2025 found the authority had failed to make these adaptations as it delayed sharing the assessment with Mrs X for three months and poorly communicated with her and commissioning services.

It said she had also contributed to some of the delay due to the time it took to submit some documents.

The council's failings meant the boy was left waiting for three and a half years for the changes to be made to the family home

LDRS

The panel found the council had also failed to complete further adaptations identified in an updated assessment in February 2024.

It ruled the authority’s delays had negatively impacted Y’s independence and quality of life.

The council apologised to Mrs X and originally offered to pay her £650 for its failings, but the ombudsman recommended a higher sum after finding the authority then took another year to carry out the adaptations it had agreed to complete in May 2025.

The report said: “Although the council did start to look for an occupational therapist in June 2025, there were significant delays in appointing someone suitable. I accept that Mrs X then declined to work with the therapist, as she could not verify their credentials and the council sought the services of a new therapist who completed their assessment in February 2026.

“I consider the council’s delay of six months from May 2025, when it said it would complete the actions to the end of November 2025, when it found an occupational therapist to be a significant delay and fault. This caused Mrs X and Y further frustration who had been reassured that actions would have been completed as a matter of urgency in May 2025.”

The watchdog told the council to apologise again to Mrs X, pay her £1,400 overall and provide an action plan for the completion of all outstanding adaptations.

The council carried out a new assessment of Y’s needs in February this year, which made multiple recommendations for aids and adaptations he needed. The authority confirmed at the end of June most of these had been completed.

A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said: “We take our responsibilities towards children and families very seriously and are sorry for the distress caused in this case.

“We accept the ombudsman’s findings and have apologised. We are taking the actions set out in the report and are committed to learning from this case and improving our services.”