If you are complaining about the closure of your service

  • Remind the local authority that the law says they must provide you with another suitable service.
  • If the new service isn’t suitable or doesn’t meet your assessed needs, explain clearly why not.
  • If they are not replacing the services, remind them that they must meet your assessed needs. They can’t just suddenly stop without reassessing you – see Getting the best out of your assessment.
  • The local authority has a duty to consult properly. Remind them about this. If they consulted but didn’t do it properly, explain why you think it does not count - see Did they consult properly?
  • They may suggest that you can make alternative arrangements yourself through your personal budget. Tell them what money you actually need in your personal budget in order to arrange something suitable. It may be more than the old service used to cost.
  • If closing the service will leave a gap in the provision available locally, or only leave you with a bad service from a provider that you don’t like, then ask the local authority to do something about this. Remind them that the law says that services should be designed around what local people need, rather than what people get being decided by what there is.