Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s housing register application. This is because the Council has agreed to remedy the injustice.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained that the Council failed to properly consider all his medical evidence when refusing his application for the housing register. Mr X says this caused significant distress to him and left him living in unstable housing.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. Mr X applied for the Council’s housing register and requested medical priority. On his medical information form, Mr X explained how his housing affected his medical conditions and sensory sensitivities. The Council refused Mr X’s application for medical priority and the housing register. Mr X asked for a review of the decision. The Council considered Mr X’s review request but did not change its decision.
6. If we were to investigate Mr X’s complaint, it is likely we would find fault causing injustice to him. The Council’s letter telling Mr X that it had refused medical priority did not explain why it considered his medical conditions were not affected by his housing. So, Mr X did not have enough information to understand the Council’s decision.
7. The Council’s review decision letter said Mr X’s review request did not say how his housing impacted his medical conditions. But the review should have considered all the information on Mr X’s request for medical priority, including his medical information form. The review decision letter did not say what information the Council considered when it made its decision. So, Mr X cannot be satisfied it considered all the evidence when it dealt with his review request.
8. We invited the Council to consider Mr X’s review request again and write to Mr X to tell him about the decision. The Council agreed to take this action.

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Agreed Action

9. The Council will consider Mr X’s review request against and write to him to tell him about the decision. The Council’s letter should set out the specific information considered by the Council when reaching its decision and fully explain its reasons for the decision. The Council should take this action within one month of my final decision.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman