A council in south London, Lambeth Council, was found to have charged a man with dementia nearly £6,500 in unfair interest and legal fees related to care payments. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman instructed the council to improve practices after deeming their communication inadequate. This failure led to a significant debt accumulation, which was only addressed late in the process. Following the ruling, the council is to repay fees, apologise, and develop clearer policies for handling such cases in the future, emphasizing better communication with residents.
Lambeth Council has been found to have unfairly charged a man with dementia nearly 6,500 in interest and legal fees, prompting calls for improved practices.
The council has been ordered to apologise to the man’s daughter and repay the unfair fees, including 300 for distress caused.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman concluded that the council failed to adequately communicate with the man about charges until it was too late.
The council has committed to policy improvements on charging interest and legal fees for unpaid care charges and to enhance communication with residents.
Collection
[
|
...
]