Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about a housing application. The injustice claimed is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council did not inform her when she was given her housing register bidding number.

Back to top

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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.

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

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

4. The Council accepted Miss X onto the housing register with a priority band of four. Miss X complains she did not get her bidding number when it was given to her, so she could not bid for housing.
5. Miss X has asked for the Council to increase her priority on the housing register and pay her more compensation.
6. The Council said that Miss X’s qualifying date was not changed by her not bidding. They also explained that Miss X has not missed any homes while waiting. There is a lack of social housing in the area, and people with band four priority face a long wait.
7. The Council apologised for Miss X not getting the email about her bidding number. They sent the email again.
8. Miss X has not suffered a significant injustice due to not receiving her bidding number sooner because she has not missed any properties in that time. Miss X’s qualifying date remains the same, and her position would not be different if she had received her bidding number sooner.
9. Even if the injustice did warrant investigation we would still not investigate. This is because we cannot achieve the outcome Miss X wants.
10. Finally, we will not investigate how the Council dealt with Miss X’s complaint. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint handling when we are not looking at the substantive issues. The Council have offered to pay a financial remedy of £100 to Miss X. This is in line with our remedy’s guidance.

Back to top

Final decision

11. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the injustice claimed is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman