Council Waited 18 Months to Present Huge Bill for Elderly Man’s Care
Watchdog orders borough to reduce amount owed and apologise
Adult social care is an increasing expense for all local authorities
November 12, 2025
Wandsworth Council failed to tell a resident how much it was charging for his father’s care until he was hit with a huge bill more than 18 months later. A watchdog told the borough to take off £1,000 from his dad’s care fees after major delays in providing his care plans, completing financial assessments and producing bills.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report found the man, referred to only as Mr X, was caused “distress, frustration and lost opportunity” by the council’s delays. It said the authority also failed to produce clear and transparent bills when it did send them.
The council began providing care for Mr X’s father in February 2023 but did not share his care and support plan with the family until March, when Mr X cancelled the care. It started providing Mr X’s dad with care again in July 2023, but did not share his updated care and support plan with them.
The council failed to complete a correct financial assessment of Mr X’s father until late September 2024 – a delay of more than 18 months from when it began to provide him with care. At this time, the council told Mr X his dad’s contribution to his care from February 20, 2023, to March 8, 2023, was £500 a week, while it was £604 a week from July 7, 2023, to June 30, 2024, and £638 a week from July 1, 2024.
The ombudsman found Mr X was caused distress by the council delaying producing any bills for his dad’s care until this time, when he was hit with a huge balance. It said he could not make informed choices about his father’s care at the relevant time, as he did not know the specific cost of the care put in place for him from July 2023 until September 2024.
In July 2025 the council took £6,665.81 off the charges because of a lack of clarity around whether double handed care was provided, however the ombudsman said even they were unable to determine whether this was accurate because there was no clear breakdown of why it reduced the charge by that much, and what care was provided.
The watchdog told the council to apologise to Mr X, pay him £1,000 for the faults it found and provide him with a clear breakdown of the bills it produced.
The report said: “The council was entitled to charge Mr X’s father for his care costs, and it is clear Mr X knew they may have to contribute towards the cost of care. After a financial assessment, the council is also entitled to backdate the charges to the time the care and support started. But Mr X suffered distress, frustration and lost opportunity as a result of the council’s failings.”
A Wandsworth Council spokesperson said, “We seek to deliver the best possible outcomes for residents with social care needs. We accept the ombudsman’s findings and have apologised to Mr X, paying the financial remedy ordered. We’re sorry for the distress Mr X and his father experienced, and we have taken lessons from this experience to improve our service.”
Charlotte Lillywhite - Local Democracy Reporter