Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (23 004 712)
Category : Housing > Allocations
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 02 Feb 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Miss X’s housing application as it is out of time.
The complaint
- Miss X complains the Council removed her from its housing register in error for several months. She says she missed the opportunity to bid on properties before others joined the register with a higher priority.
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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In April 2020 the Council contacted Miss X to reassess her housing application following a change in circumstances. The Council says it did not receive information it asked for and so it removed Miss X from its housing register in March 2021. The Council says it reinstated Miss X in July 2021 upon receiving this information.
- Miss X says she overlooked the Council’s contact in April 2020. She believes the Council removed her from the housing register from April 2020 to July 2021 in error. And she could not log in to her account over this period.
- Miss X explains she had a short window to bid before the Council merger in September 2021 affected her place on the register. However, she did not realise her ranking was affected until she asked for details of this in November 2022. This prompted her complaint to the Council and then the Ombudsman.
- Miss X’s complaint about lack of access to the housing register is out of time and there is no good reason to exercise discretion.
- It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about the Council’s complaint handling when we are not investigating the substantive matter.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is out of time.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman