Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council refusing to increase his housing priority. The Council has now increased Mr X’s housing priority. So, an investigation will not achieve any more for him.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains that the Council refused to increase his housing priority despite assuring him it would if his landlord could not adapt his property. Mr X says that, as a result, he and his family will have to live in unsuitable accommodation for longer than necessary.

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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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome; or 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. Mr X lives in a two bedroom property with Ms Y and their children. Ms Y has a medical condition that affects her mobility. The Council previously awarded band C priority for a three bedroom property. Mr X requested higher priority following an occupational therapist’s (OT) report which made recommendations for adaptations to meet Ms Y’s needs. Mr X said the Council sent him an email stating that it would award a higher priority band if the landlord could not make the necessary adaptions.
6. The Council refused to increase Mr X’s priority to band B. Mr X made a complaint which the Council considered through its two stage complaints procedure. The Council said it considered Mr X and Ms Y’s circumstances did not warrant an increase to band B.
7. At Mr X’s request, the Council sent his housing file to a panel made up of other councils to review. The panel concluded Mr X’s housing priority should be increased to band B. The Council accepted the panel’s view and increased Mr X’s priority to band B.
8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. The Council has increased Mr X’s priority to band B. It also backdated the increased priority to the date of Mr X’s request following the OT’s report. So, the Council has provided the outcome sought by Mr X. An investigation will not achieve more for him.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation would not achieve more for him.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman