A PAYOUT of £17,000 has been made by the Isle of Wight Council for the mistakes it made in the way it dealt with the case of a boy with special educational needs.
The cash payout came as a result of a complaint to the local government ombudsman, which resulted in the only report issued against the authority by the ombudsman last year.
The ombudsman found that the council failed to make assessments, carry out statutory reviews or make adequate service provision for a considerable time for the boy with significant educational needs.
The ombudsman found that, as a result, his mother suffered a considerable loss of earnings, distress, inconvenience and time and trouble pursuing the complaint and her son lost education and care support for 14 months.
The ombudsman said in his report: "The council agreed to make payments totalling £17,000 to the complainant and her son in recognition of the serious and avoidable injustice they were caused, issued a formal apology and arranged a meeting with them to reassure them they would receive the appropriate support in future."
The ombudsman also highlighted a 'local settlement’ made by the council as a way of settling a dispute. The settlement was designed to improve the communication between the authority and the boy who had significant sensory disabilities.
The ombudsman was told that despite the council making clear arrangements over a number of years to accommodate the disability, the boy still struggled.
The ombudsman last year dealt with a total of 57 inquiries and complaints against the Isle of Wight Council — a reduction of 15 on the previous year.
The report shows, of the 57 complaints and enquiries, 23 were about planning, seven each were about highways and children and family services, six were about education and there were two each about housing and benefits. The remaining ten were spread among other council services
Isle of Wight Council leader, Cllr David Pugh, said: "Although we do welcome the report, which shows the council is making significant improvements in many areas, including the time taken to respond to complaints, there is still work to do.
"We are now in a particularly tough period, especially with the current economic situation, and we are having to review many services to make savings that are being forced on us.
"Many residents will therefore rightly expect top quality services during these challenging times. It is up to the council to ensure we constantly strive to deliver those."
Reporter: richardw@iwcpmail.co.uk