Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Miss X’s housing application. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise our discretion to investigate.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council has not considered her circumstances when deciding her place on the housing register.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. In 2023, Miss X asked the Council to review her priority for social housing. Miss X complained to the Council in March 2024 because she said the review decision contained someone else’s information. The Council responded in May 2024. It upheld the complaint and provided an updated decision reflecting Miss X’s current circumstances. Miss X did not escalate her complaint to stage 2 of the Council’s complaints procedure.
7. Miss X complained to us in January 2026. This is more than 12 months after she knew about the matter. The restriction in paragraph 2 therefore applies. There are no good reasons why Miss X couldn’t have brought her complaint to us sooner.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise our discretion to investigate.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman