North Yorkshire Council has agreed to improve the way it deals with Disabled Facilities Grant applications after a Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman investigation discovered it had a significant backlog of cases.

While investigating a complaint from a resident about the time it was taking for his home to be adapted to meet his child’s needs, the Ombudsman found the council had a backlog of nearly 700 referrals that had not yet been approved for adaptations.

The average time the council was taking to approve a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) application was 262 days, when government guidance states even the most complex cases should take no longer than 180.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“Disabled Facilities Grants can make a real difference, helping people stay in the homes they love and live in with comfort, dignity, and independence for as long as possible.

“However the council is taking too long to approve grants to make this possible, and nearly 700 Disabled people across North Yorkshire are living under a cloud of uncertainty, not knowing whether the adaptations they may need are going to be given the green light.

“I am pleased North Yorkshire Council has agreed this is not acceptable. I hope its action plan to tackle this situation, and the focus councillors will now place on this issue, will ensure Disabled people across the area will have their applications decided more swiftly going forwards."

The Ombudsman issued a report and a number of Good Practice Guides for local councils over the summer focusing on housing issues affecting Disabled people, including best practice advice for officers on DFGs.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the original complainant and pay him £500 to acknowledge the distress and uncertainty caused. It will also explore all options for progressing the man’s application without further delay.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will draw up an action plan with timescales to reduce the delay in dealing with DFG referrals to ensure it is meeting timescales.

It will also provide twice yearly updates on its website of the progress it is making to clear the backlog.

The Commissioner for Human Rights has asked the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for information on the progress of work on a draft law implementing the requirements of the European Media Freedom Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1083 of the European Parliament and of the Council). The Act will apply from 8 August 2025, but some of its provisions require the adoption of national regulations, without which its effectiveness would remain significantly limited.

Deputy Commissioner for Human Rights Stanisław Trociuk recalled that, according to the Ministry’s announcements, the draft law was expected to be included in the List of Legislative Works in mid-2025. He therefore inquired about the current stage of the legislative process.
This work concerns key issues previously raised in the CHR’s interventions, including the procedure for appointing management and supervisory boards of public radio and television companies, regulation of market concentration in the media sector, and the prohibition on publishing newspapers by local government units. Statutory regulation of these matters will be of fundamental importance in guaranteeing citizens’ enjoyment of their rights and freedoms, with particular emphasis on freedom of expression and the right to receive and impart information under Article 54(1) of the Polish Constitution. The strong interest expressed by civil society organisations during public consultations further demonstrates the need for efficient progress in implementing the Regulation.
The Ministry has informed that the draft law is currently under consideration by the Government Work Programming Team and will subsequently be submitted for public consultation. It stressed that the planned reform is intended to ensure stable funding for public media, strengthen the independence of the National Broadcasting Council, safeguard the autonomy of public broadcasting companies’ governing bodies, and introduce rules on media market concentration and a ban on newspaper publishing by local governments.
https://bip.brpo.gov.pl/pl/content/rpo-europejski-akt-wolnosci-mediow-mkidn

La institución Defensor del Pueblo recogió en su Informe 2023 una actuación, implementada en 2022, en la que se emite un recordatorio de deberes legales para instar a las administraciones a mejorar y reforzar las medidas de prevención y de coordinación en la lucha contra los incendios forestales, ante el escenario de constante incremento del número y gravedad de los incendios, como consecuencia, entre otras causas, del cambio climático.

Tras concluir una veintena de actuaciones de oficio con las consejerías competentes de todas las comunidades autónomas, las diputaciones forales, las dos ciudades autónomas y la Secretaría de Estado de Medio Ambiente, dirigió un recordatorio de deberes legales en los que incidió en la necesidad de aplicar políticas destinadas a favorecer la gestión forestal sostenible, la resiliencia de los montes frente al fuego y una correcta ordenación de los usos del suelo. Además, instó a intensificar la coordinación administrativa y la coherencia entre las políticas públicas relacionadas.

Según trasladó entonces el Defensor del Pueblo a las administraciones, “el incremento de las temperaturas, la disminución de las precipitaciones y la sequía, como consecuencia del cambio climático, configuran un escenario de constante incremento de la gravedad de los incendios que obliga a prestar mayor atención a las medidas preventivas y de gestión forestal sostenible. Debe superarse el enfoque del incendio únicamente como emergencia e incidirse en la prevención”, aseguró.

Por ello, urgió a las administraciones públicas “a asumir el aumento de recursos públicos que van a ser necesarios para atender las labores de extinción y acometer la restauración de los montes” y destacó que la prevención de los incendios y la minimización de sus impactos, desde un enfoque ambiental y sostenible, debían convertirse en elementos centrales de la gestión forestal”.

El Defensor del Pueblo recuerda que no tiene capacidad ejecutiva, pero que la institución, en virtud de las atribuciones recogidas en la Ley Orgánica 3/1981 que la regula, está en disposición de recordar la legislación y supervisar posteriormente a las administraciones en su actuación. En todo caso, la institución seguirá supervisando el cumplimiento de los deberes legales, también en este caso.

Ángel Gabilondo, en nombre de toda la institución, hace llegar el pésame a los familiares de las víctimas, y el apoyo a todos los afectados por las pérdidas que les haya podido ocasionar esta catástrofe.