The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint about how the Council has considered her housing application. The Council has agreed to complete a new assessment. It would not be proportionate for us to investigate further.
The complaint
Mrs X complained the Council had refused to increase her housing register priority on health and welfare grounds. She said the Council’s failure to award the correct priority meant she could not bid on properties suitable for her needs.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X approached the Council as homeless in 2017. The Council placed her on the housing register in 2018. In late 2021, the Council discharged its homelessness duty to Mrs X through a private rented tenancy. It reassessed her housing register application as her circumstances had changed. It awarded her 250 points in line with its housing allocations policy. Mrs X complained to us about that decision. We investigated and found no fault; therefore, we will not consider this complaint further.
Mrs X provided the Council with a letter from her consultant in 2023. That letter set out the impact Mrs X’s accommodation was having on her mental health. Since then, Mrs X has continued to complain to the Council about the level of priority it has awarded.
If we were to investigate Mrs X’s complaint, it is likely we would find fault causing injustice. That is because the Council has not demonstrated it considered completing a health reassessment of Mrs X, based on the information in the consultant’s letter. We therefore asked the Council to consider completing a reassessment of Mrs X’s health and wellbeing needs. To its credit, the Council has agreed to complete an assessment of Mrs X’s health and wellbeing. We are satisfied that is appropriate to resolve this complaint therefore will not investigate further.
Final decision
We have upheld Mrs X’s complaint because the Council has agreed to resolve it early by completing the health and wellbeing assessment.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman