Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with her housing register application. The Council has accepted that it overlooked information provided by Ms X in her housing application and has agreed to reconsider her application. This is because the injustice caused is not significant enough to justify a full investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X says the Council mishandled her housing application. She says it failed to give her key documents, gave false information about her not responding, and gave her the wrong contact for the Housing Options Service. She also says she had already sent full evidence in 2025 and that the Council’s actions delayed her access to housing.

Back to top

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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

5. At Ms X’s request, the Council carried out a housing application review.
6. In December 2025, the Council overturned its original land‑ownership decision, which formed part of its assessment under the housing allocations scheme, and apologised to Ms X for the delay in issuing its decision.
7. The Council accepted that it overlooked information provided by Ms X in her housing application and has agreed to reconsider her application. I will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because the Council did not cause her a significant injustice. Although the Council overturned its original decision on her housing application, the final outcome remained the same. Ms X was not eligible to join the housing register, so she did not lose any opportunity to bid for housing because of the Council’s delay

Back to top

Final decision

8. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s assessment of her housing application. The injustice caused is not significant enough to justify a full investigation. The Council corrected its earlier fault by reconsidering her housing application.

Investigator’s decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman