The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
The complaint
Mrs X complained about the Council’s assessment of her housing application. She says she was awarded Band C for her son’s medical needs but believes that she should be placed in a higher banding because he is not managing sharing even though he has been recommended for a separate bedroom.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council’s review of her case. I have also considered the Council’s Housing Allocations policy.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X says she applied for a review of her housing application on medical grounds. She says her husband and her son have needs which require her family to be moved urgently. The Council carried out a medial assessment and awarded Band C moderate needs with ground floor and a separate bedroom for her son. Her husband did not meet the threshold for medical priority.
Mrs X says she should be awarded at least Band B urgent priority because her son needs to be moved quickly due to safety issues with window and door locks in her home. The medical assessment recommended that locks be fitted.
The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision. If we consider it followed those processes correctly, we cannot question whether the decision was right or wrong, regardless of whether someone disagrees with the decision the organisation made.
I have seen no evidence of fault which would suggest that Mrs X should be placed in a higher banding. The Ombudsman may not find fault with a council’s assessment of a housing application/ a housing applicant’s priority if it has carried this out in line with its published allocations scheme. We recognise that the demand for social housing far outstrips the supply of properties in many areas.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman