Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mrs X’s housing case. She says the Council cancelled an offer of a suitable property without good reason and cancelled her priority award. This is because an investigation would not lead to any further outcomes.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains about the Council’s handling of her housing case. She says the Council cancelled an offer of a suitable property without good reason. She also complains the Council cancelled her priority award when she refused an offer that she said wasn’t suitable for her household’s medical needs.

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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 an investigation if we decide 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

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

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My assessment

5. Mrs X said the Council made her an offer of a suitable property, Property 1, but then cancelled the offer for no good reason. The Council said no formal offer was made for Property 1 and that it had contacted Mrs X in May 2023 to explain the reasons for why it would not be offering the property.
6. In June 2023, a different property, Property 2, was offered to Mrs X. After viewing the property, Mrs X decided to decline the property as she did not consider it to be suitable for her household’s health needs. Mrs X’s daughter emailed the Council outlining the reasons for the property being declined, alongside additional evidence to support the family’s health needs.
7. Following Mrs X declining the property, the Council cancelled her priority award. The Council said this was because Mrs X had not given any detail as to what was inadequate about the property, nor detailed how the property would impact on the individual’s medical conditions.
8. Following enquiries by us, the Council completed a further review of its decision to cancel Mrs X’s priority award. The Council decided to reinstate Mrs X’s priority award and agreed it would make one further offer to Mrs X. The Council also confirmed it would complete a new award interview to review the health information it held for Mrs X’s household.
9. An investigation is not justified as it would not lead to any further outcomes. The Council has appropriately reviewed its decision and now decided to reinstate Mrs X’s priority award and agreed that she will be made one further offer. The Council will also review the information it holds for Mrs X’s household to ensure it can make a suitable offer to Mrs X. This is appropriate.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because an investigation would not lead to any further outcomes.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman