Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Ms X’s housing application because there is not enough evidence of fault to warrant further investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms X complained she has been waiting for a larger property since 2019. She says her bidding position has not changed, and she has not received a housing offer despite waiting several years. She says has caused stress and emotional strain.

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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, or.

(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 Ms X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

My assessment

5. Ms X and her family live in a one-bedroom property. Ms X has been on the housing register since 2019 and is registered for a two-bedroom property. Ms X says her position on the housing register has not changed in the last two years and she has not received a housing offer. Ms X also complained about the Council’s refusal to escalate her complaint to stage two of its complaint procedure.
6. The Council explained demand for social housing far outstrips the supply of properties in the area. It said its new housing allocations scheme prioritises households by their band, then by points and registration date.
7. I have checked the allocations policy and have not found evidence of fault in how the Council calculated Ms X’s position on the housing register. I appreciate Ms X is not achieving a higher bid position, but this is due to the severe shortage of housing and the priority of other applicants.
8. Ms X is unhappy she has not received an offer of accommodation despite being on the housing list since 2019. The Council explained that the demand for social housing far outstrips the supply in many areas. This issue arises from demand and supply pressures rather than any fault by the Council, so we will not investigate this further.
9. Ms X bid on properties in developments and was unsuccessful. The Council explained that under the Local Lettings plan, priority was given to households who lived close to the development. I have seen no evidence of fault in how the Council considered Ms X’s bids.
10. I have considered the Council’s explanation for why Ms X’s position on the housing register has not changed. The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision. If we consider it followed those processes correctly, we cannot question whether the decision was right or wrong, regardless of whether someone disagrees with the decision the organisation made. I am satisfied that the Council acted in line with its published allocation scheme and I have not seen any evidence of fault.
11. Ms X is also unhappy with the way the Council dealt with her complaint. But it is not a good use of public resources to look at the Council’s complaints handling if we are not going to look at the substantive issue complained about. We will not therefore investigate this issue separately.

Final Decision

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

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman