"A north London council failed to properly safeguard a vulnerable woman despite being aware that her property had been taken over by drug dealers and she was at risk of abuse, an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found. The report highlighted concerns about the number of failures on the part of Brent Council to take the necessary action over a period of more than two years."
"The Ombudsman found that the woman, referred to in the report as Ms X, had missed out on receiving the proper care and a move to a safer property. Her daughter, referred to as Ms Y, first highlighted that her mum's property had been taken over by drug dealers known as cuckooing and she couldn't take care of herself as far back as 2022, but Ms X died three years later before the council took any action."
"After Ms X had been in and out of hospital, Brent Council did carry out a brief assessment in April 2025 and put a care package in place so she could be discharged. However, as Ms X had a number of medical conditions and her property was in a poor state after police evicted the squatters, she returned to hospital the following day."
Brent Council repeatedly failed to safeguard a vulnerable woman whose home had been taken over by drug dealers and who was at risk of abuse. Her daughter raised concerns as early as 2022 about cuckooing and her mother's declining physical and mental health. The council carried out a brief assessment in April 2025 and arranged a care package, but the woman returned to hospital the next day due to multiple medical conditions and poor housing conditions after squatters were evicted. In June 2025 the council accepted eligibility for social care, planned a care plan and referred her for sheltered accommodation, but she died before rehousing or a completed care plan. The case involved missed opportunities and failures over more than two years.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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