Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the complaints housing officer has failed to engage with him. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome and some of the complaint is made late.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains that his housing officer has failed to properly engage with him since 2020.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
3. 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)

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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. We cannot consider how the Council has communicated with Mr X since 2020. This is because it is reasonable to have expected Mr X to have complained sooner about matters that happened more than 12 months ago. We can however consider how the Council has dealt with Mr X recently.
7. In responding to Mr X’s complaint, the Council found that his housing officer had not responded to Mr X’s calls and he had not been informed that she had left the role. The Council apologised for this and provided him with details of his new housing officer who Mr X subsequently met with and assisted him with submitting a new housing application and with other issues he raised. I spoke with Mr X and he told me that whilst the new housing officer doesn’t always answer her telephone, she does return his calls.
8. I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council has corresponded with him about his housing needs recently. This is because the Council has accepted fault, apologised, and allocated him with a new housing officer who is supporting him. These are appropriate and proportionate responses and further investigation would therefore not lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because doing so would not lead to a different outcome and some of the complaint is made late.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman