The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: Mrs D complains about a loft conversion scheme and the closure of her housing register account. These events date back several years. I have ended the investigation. Parts of the complaint are late, and we cannot add to the information already provided by the Council in its complaint responses.
The complaint
The complainant (whom I refer to as Mrs D) says the Council did not provide her with a loft conversion under its loft scheme which she applied for some time prior to January 2020. She also refers to the Council closing her housing register account in 2022. She wants the Ombudsman to review her housing priority and have it increased to improve her chance to move home.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended) We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide: we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation; or we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants; or it would be reasonable for the person to ask for a Council review.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered evidence provided by Mrs D and the Council as well as relevant law, policy and guidance.
I shared my draft decision with both parties.
What I found
What happened Mrs D complained to the Council in May 2025. She had applied for a loft conversion under a Council scheme prior to January 2020 and was unhappy she had not been selected for works. Her family was severely overcrowded. The Council responded to the complaint at both stages of the complaints process. It said the loft conversion programme ended in 2023 due to budgetary constraints. It explained why Mrs D had not been selected prior to 2023 for a loft conversion. The Council apologised for any failure in communications about the scheme. It also noted that Mrs D’s housing register account had been suspended in 2022 because she had failed to complete the required annual re-registration. The Council had correctly suspended the account, but it had failed to reply to contact from her about the account in October 2024. The Council apologised for poor communications and said it had exercised discretion to reinstate the account without any loss of priority.
Reasons for my decision I have decided to discontinue (end) the investigation. Parts of Mrs D’s complaint are late; we expect a complaint to be made to us within 12 months of the problem arising. Mrs D refers to issues with the loft conversion scheme dating back to at least 2020 and the housing register account suspension in 2022. We cannot look back to those dates; Mrs D could and should have complained about those points sooner. In addition we cannot add to what the Council has already told Mrs D in its formal complaint responses. It has explained what happened with the scheme and the housing register account.
I have considered what Mrs D hoped to achieve by coming to the Ombudsman. She wanted an apology for poor communication which the Council has already provided to her in 2025. She wanted her housing priority reviewed and increased, that is an action for the Council rather than the Ombudsman. If Mrs D believes her banding is incorrect, she can ask the Council to review it. If she wants the Council to consider medical priority she can submit medical evidence to it, the process is set out on the Council’s website and its Allocations Policy.
Decision I have ended the investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman