Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a housing benefit application. The Council has upheld the complaint and apologised. Further investigation by the Ombudsman would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council did not support him with his housing benefit application after he needed to temporarily move out of his Council property. He said the Council then wrote to him about having rent arrears that he did not owe. Mr X said he had to chase the Council to correct its mistake.
2. Mr X said he struggles with his mental health and that the Council’s actions had caused him distress. Mr X is not satisfied with the Council’s apology.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. The Council has fully upheld Mr X’s complaint. It apologised for not contacting him after he asked for help with his housing benefit application. It also said it did not update his records after he moved out of his temporary accommodation which resulted in the letter about outstanding arrears. The Council confirmed he did not have outstanding arrears. It apologised for his poor experience.
7. Although Mr X is unhappy with the Council’s complaint response, we will not investigate. The Council has apologised to Mr X for the faults identified. That is in line with our Guidance on Remedies. The Council corrected its error about the rent areas once Mr X contacted it. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
8. There were delays in the Council providing a stage two response to Mr X’s complaint. The Council apologised for this in its response. We will not investigate the Council’s complaint handling. Firstly, the Council has apologised, I am satisfied that remedies any injustice caused. In addition, it is not a good use of public money to investigate complaints about complaint processes where we are not investigating the substantive matter.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has already upheld the complaint and apologised. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman