London Borough of Ealing (25 023 114)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 26-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s recovery of a housing benefit overpayment. There is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s decision to apply a direct earnings attachment to recover the overpayment. The Council has remedied any significant injustice through its complaints process. The outstanding injustice is therefore not significant enough to justify us investigating. We also cannot recommend the Council to take disciplinary action towards its staff.

East Suffolk Council (25 023 023)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 21-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a council tax matter. This is because the is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

Milton Keynes Council (25 011 308)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 20-May-2026

Summary: Mr X complained about how the Council handled his application for Housing Benefit and Discretionary Housing Payment. We find no fault in how the Council considered capital, corrected payments, responded to his reasonable adjustment request, or handled his complaint. However, we do find fault in delays, failure to notify him when his claim was suspended, and poor communication which caused him distress, uncertainty, and time and trouble. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr X, complete an outstanding review of the October 2024 earnings, and take action to improve its services.

Reading Borough Council (25 021 883)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 19-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council managed Miss X’s Discretionary Housing Payment applications and her request for council tax hardship relief. This is because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it now. Of the remaining element, there is not enough evidence of fault to warrant our involvement.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 023 232)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 18-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about housing benefit overpayments and how the Council handled her housing benefit claim. It is reasonable to expect Ms X to appeal to a tribunal.

London Borough of Hackney (25 011 607)

Statement Upheld Housing benefit and council tax benefit 12-May-2026

Summary: Mr X complained the Council delayed assessing his housing benefit application. He said this has had a negative impact on him financially and has taken his time and trouble for almost a year trying to resolve. We have found fault in the Councils actions for delays in completing the assessments and for incorrect information provided. The Council has agreed to write to Mr X to issue an apology, pay him a symbolic payment and complete service improvements.

Birmingham City Council (25 024 585)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of her housing benefit claim and its overpayment decisions. Her complaint is late and we have seen no good why she could not have come to us sooner.

London Borough of Lambeth (25 023 541)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to decline Mr X’s Discretionary Housing Payment. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to warrant our involvement.

London Borough of Hounslow (24 022 587)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 11-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Housing Benefit and Council Tax overpayments. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (25 024 564)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Housing benefit and council tax benefit 11-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about a housing benefit overpayment appeal, a data breach committed by the Council and delays in progressing her complaints. Miss X has already used her appeal rights for the overpayment decision. It is too late to complain about matters arising before the Tribunal’s decision and the data breach as these occurred some years ago. It is reasonable to expect her to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office about more recent data protection matters. Finally, we will not investigate the Council’s complaint handling alone as this would not be a good use of our resources.