An interesting and disturbing case has arrived at Leaky Towers via a source on Twitter which we think gives a telling insight into how Wirral Council’s Department of Adult Social Services (DASS) still works when it comes to the way they treat people with disabilities – despite their repeated cries of ‘lessons have been learned’ ‘transformation’ and ‘ choice’
The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) made a ruling on a case involving a disabled woman from Wirral in February of this year. Publishing the report on their website some time later they found that :
The Council was at fault in reducing Ms B’s care hours without a reassessment of her needs. It has now agreed that she can receive care again from her previous (preferred) provider, and will restore her care hours to the previous level assessed to meet her needs. The Council agrees to reimburse Ms B’s representatives for the costs they have incurred in paying privately for care for some hours she has missed, and make a payment to them in acknowledgement of their time and trouble in pursuing the complaint. It will also offer Ms B a payment in acknowledgement of the distress this matter has caused her, which will equal the cost of the care hours she has missed.
http://www.lgo.org.uk/decisions/adult-care-services/other/15-003-163#point1
This is a particularly significant ruling and testimony to the perseverance and determination of those seeking justice in this case. We stress this as it should not be under-estimated just how hard historically it has been for a complainant to get a ruling of maladministration from the LGO . Written evidence submitted by LGO Watch and Public Service Ombudsman Watchers to the Communities and Local Government Committee in 2012 is particularly critical of the LGO’s poor record on rulings in favour of complainants and cites Wirral Council as a case study. Although we do need to acknowledge that this was 4 years ago and it was the year that saw the publication of the damning Independent Review of Wirral Council , unfortunately there is very little to suggest that the conclusions reached about how Wirral Council operated then are any different now (see below).
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmcomloc/431/431vw12.htm
Talking of which we were particularly interested to see the reference in the LGO ruling to Wirral Council having to make a payment amounting to £500 for the ‘time and trouble’ of the complainants. The phrase reminded us of a story we published earlier this year where we made reference to the Wirralgate complainants being offered a much more generous £3,000 (presumably x 4) by Wirral Council for their ‘time and trouble’ despite the fact that there has been no published report upholding their complaints.
https://wirralleaks.wordpress.com/2016/01/20/time-and-trouble/
Surely this begs the following questions : Firstly, if the Wirralgate complainants were not happy with a 3 grand bung , why weren’t they advised to take their complaint to the LGO ? and secondly , why instead did they get a bespoke inquiry which is seemingly concerned primarily with a potentially even larger compensation payment?.
We suppose the answer to these questions brings us back to the conclusion submitted in written evidence to the CLG Committee referenced above : No wonder councils like Wirral can get away with cover-ups and maladministration for years….until of course someone else does the LGO’s job and exposes council cover ups and maladministration.
Wirralleaks 
It would appear that despite repeated failings DASS and its officers have not learnt lessons nor improved their quality of service to those in need of care.
It beggars belief that they have never learnt from past failing where not only were their clients abused but were fleeced out of their just deserts but it took a £300k plus enquiry and a payoff to two senior officers who walked away with £220k and straight into other jobs without any sanctions.
The organisation stinks and is and never has been fit for purpose and it takes outside bodies and the poor ratepayers to yet again pick up the pieces.
Even if payments of £48,000 x 4 are one day paid in public money to the HESPE complainants and eager, rogue audio recorders, I somehow doubt that Frank Field will be moved to write to the Wirral Globe to complain about the squandering of so much of his beloved Wirral Council Tax payers’ cash.
No… I reckon he’s more likely to fall uncharacteristically silent on the matter.
G’day Leaks
Can I just put on public record the fact John “Tarrantino” Brace is not answering his blog.
wirral with a small woobleU needs this boy badly.
Just sayin.
Ooroo
James
Or, is it just because I want to say on his site
LIARS LIARS pants on fire.
and
Ecca’s got no cojones.
Festive feelings to you L XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Thanks publicly also to Bobby47 for his kind words on Cardins Wirral in it Together.
Wirral in it Together, does that refer to Kev and Stella’s Stinking Stagnant wirral Waters?
Hi James,
Thanks for your concern. I am answering, just slower than normal, but I’m catching up with the backlog.
When I’m not well, what is usually around 1.5 FTE gets reduced massively to what I’d call a skeleton staff.
So commercial matters have priority (for instance if you wrote to me asking to advertise), so does continuing filming.
Those core matters (including travelling etc) take up a fair amount of a comment.
Wirral can easily do without my blogging for short periods and to be quite frank, being described as “prolific” by the Wirral Globe means there will be times I go quiet (although perhaps I should’ve made it more explicit the reasons why).
I’ll be writing tomorrow (to be published Monday) and hopefully will catch up with replying to some of your comments.
Thanks for your concern!
Sorry must’ve edited this sentence so it doesn’t make sense!
“Those core matters (including travelling etc) take up a fair amount of a comment. ”
“Those core matters (including travelling etc) take up a fair amount of time and with more time the extra time would normally be used in replying to comments.”
This is Wirral Council all over.why did they build The new campus in twelve quay’s which is out of the way for lots of people to get to and when will the new youth centre be open on Enough street and why is it there anyway when we desperately need a new ambulance station.
Should be Exmouth street