Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council did not support her as a fraud victim or help her relocate. This is because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by investigating further.

The complaint

1. Miss X says a family member committed fraud against her, and she now feels unsafe in her home and wants the Council to help her move. She says the situation has affected her mental health and caused her to lose care of her child. She asks the Council to acknowledge what she has been through, recognise its impact, and help her relocate. She also asks the Council to improve support for fraud victims by creating a referral pathway, reviewing its complaints process, strengthening tenant safety practices, and considering compensation.

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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 and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(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. Miss X, a Council tenant, reported a family member committed fraud and identity theft against her. She no longer felt safe in her home and asked the Council to support her as a fraud victim and help her move to another local authority area.
6. The Council told Miss X that Housing Officers cannot arrange moves to other councils. They directed her to apply to councils in the areas she wanted to move to and signposted her to a mutual exchange service.
7. Miss X is complaining the Council failed to support her as a tenant. The Council has no statutory duty to support victims of fraud where this is not as a direct result of their housing.
8. The Council told Miss X they have no services to support with benefit fraud and signposted her to report this to the Department of Work and Pensions or the police.
9. Miss X is unhappy the Council has no referral pathways to support fraud victims. The Council is not responsible for investigating benefit or identity fraud. Fraud is a criminal offence, and the Council is not obligated to provide any more than the advice it has already offered Miss X in this case.
10. The Council signposted Miss X to the proper agencies and explained the correct routes for rehousing, including applying to other councils or seeking a mutual exchange.
11. We will not investigate this complaint because further investigation is unlikely to find fault in the Councils actions or achieve a worthwhile outcome. Miss X asked the Council to provide services it does not offer. Overall, the Council took reasonable steps and signposted her to agencies that could help.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault or achieve a worthwhile outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman