A West London council has been ordered to re-assess a disabled woman's application for a Blue Badge parking permit after a watchdog found serious flaws in its initial handling of the case.
Ombudsman upholds complaint over flawed assessment
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has upheld a complaint against Ealing Council, stating it could not demonstrate how it had considered all the mobility and health issues presented by the applicant, referred to as Mrs X.
Mrs X, who relies on family members to transport her to appointments, argued that the council did not take all of her ailments into account. She also stated that her mobility had deteriorated further since her first application due to significant difficulties with her leg.
The council's appeal response listed evidence provided by Mrs X but failed to show how it had actually considered that evidence or the additional information she supplied about her declining mobility. The Ombudsman concluded this created "avoidable uncertainty" for Mrs X regarding how her appeal was handled.
Council apologises and agrees to fresh review
In response to the ruling, Ealing Council has apologised for its failings and agreed to carry out a new review of Mrs X's Blue Badge appeal. The Ombudsman had instructed the council to "consider remedying the injustice caused to Mrs X" by re-examining her application.
According to the report, the council has since contacted Mrs X, who has opted for a desk-based assessment. If her appeal is unsuccessful this time, the council has agreed to write to her detailing the specific reasons why. It must also provide evidence to the Ombudsman that it has followed these corrective steps.
An Ealing Council spokesperson said: "We apologise for our failings in this case. We will carry out another review of the individual's Blue Badge appeal and if their appeal is unsuccessful we will let them know why."
A pattern of service failures emerges
This incident is not an isolated one for the borough. Just last week, Ealing Council was forced to apologise and pay £700 in compensation after the LGSCO ruled it had failed to ensure a child received necessary speech and language therapy for over a year.
In its statement on the Blue Badge case, the council acknowledged room for improvement: "Supporting residents with extra needs is a top priority for us and we recognise there is more work to do to ensure every resident receives a consistently high level of service."
The spokesperson added a commitment to ensuring Blue Badge assessments are "fair, consistent and transparent," promising to strengthen internal processes and act on feedback.
The outcome highlights the vital role of the Local Government Ombudsman in holding councils to account and securing redress for residents when local authority processes fall short, particularly in sensitive areas affecting vulnerable people's independence and mobility.
