Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that changes to the Council’s Housing Allocations Scheme in 2024 have unfairly affected her registration date. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains that changes to the Council’s Housing Allocations Scheme in 2024 have affected her registration date, meaning she is placed much lower down when bidding for social housing. She wants the Council backdate her registration date to 2012, when she first joined the register.

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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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating.

(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.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X first joined the Council’s housing register in 2012. In 2019, the Council increased her priority band to Band B.
6. Miss X complains that when the Council brought in its new policy in 2024, it changed her registration date from 2012 to 2019, when she was awarded Band B. She says this means she is now being placed in a much lower position after bidding on properties.
7. In its complaint response, the Council said this change was in line with its new scheme, which set her housing priority date as the date she joined the higher band, Band B, and not the date she joined the housing register.
8. We will not investigate this complaint. I have reviewed the Council’s Allocations Scheme, and its decision appears in line with the revised policy. We cannot find fault when a Council’s decision appears in line with its published scheme. There is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman