It is now October - one full year of Cyngor Gwynedd council being in non compliance of the Ombudsman for Wales recommendations -
"71. The Council should (within three months) seek specialist input to develop a plan for dealing with future assessment and support requests from/for those suffering with Autism."
Nick Bennett has given the council chance after chance and even expressed to the family, his frustrations over the situation with the council - all to no avail it seems.
The council's CEO, Dilwyn Williams, appears to blame the SS departments for the 'slippage' whilst doing nothing to take control of the situation, himself. Whilst the Director of SS, who has no social work background blames the recent pandemic (that doesn't explain what happened to compliance before that time)
What to do now ? Putting in yet another complaint to the council means placing 'independent investigators' in the firing line to be bullied amd overwhelmed by senior officers and I am not prepared to do that.
Raise yet another complaint with the Ombudsman ? What is the point ? Mr Bennett is not respected by anyone in this corner of North Wales and appears powerless to hold councils to account and so it would be a waste of public resources to do so.
The complaints system in Wales is not fit for purpose and Judicial Review appears to be the only way to hold any public organisation to account. But there is no legal aid and what family can afford the £25K+ - minimum - that is required to bring such a case ? Local authorities as we know have an unlimited amount of money at their disposal from public funds.
The Ombudsman wrote to say that the autism specialist commissioned by the council promised to present their draft report to the council by the end of September 2020.
Not quite what the the recommendation called for, but, as Mr Bennett says, it is up to him to accept any variation on recommendations - as he sees fit.
No mention is made of the Ombudsman even receiving a copy of the draft report himself and even so draft reports can be changed.......
What next ? An email from the ombudsman later on today ?
Something is very, very wrong within Gwynedd council.
