Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with Miss X’s housing register application. An investigation will not achieve anything for Miss X.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains that the Council:

• Wrongly said it did not receive her request for a review of its decision that she did not qualify for the housing register.
• Failed to properly consider her review request.

2. Miss X says that as a result the Council did not correctly decide her qualifying date for the housing register. Miss X also says the Council’s actions have caused significant distress to her.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 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

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

Back to top

My assessment

6. Miss X made an application to join the Council’s housing register. The Council notified Miss X that she did not qualify for the housing register as she did not satisfy its local connection criteria. The Council’s housing allocation policy provides that an applicant must have been resident in its area for five consecutive years or more prior to the application. There are exceptions to the criteria, but Miss X did not meet those exceptions at the time of her application.
7. Miss X sent an email to the Council requesting a review of its decision. Some months later she sent a further email chasing the review and provided additional information.
8. The Council told Miss X that it had not received her original request for a review. The Council considered Miss X’s review request. It notified Miss X that she did not meet the local connection criteria so its decision that she did not qualify remained unchanged.
9. Miss X made complaint to the Council and provided evidence to show she had sent her review request to the correct email. In response, the Council explained officers had checked its information system but there was no evidence to show it had received Miss X’s original review request. The Council acknowledged that the review decision did not set out the information considered. The review decision also did not specifically address Miss X’s request for the Council to exercise its discretion to allow her to join the housing register.
10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council telling her it had not received her review request. We could not add anything to the Council’s investigation as it has checked its information system to determine if it received the request. An investigation would not achieve anything more for Miss X.
11. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision that she did not qualify for the housing register. Miss X has accepted an offer of housing. I understand Miss X is seeking a review of the suitability of housing offered. But an investigation into how Council considered her housing application will not achieve anything for her now the Council has offered a property to her.

Back to top

Final decision

12. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint as an investigation will not achieve any more for her.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman