Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council failing in its safeguarding duties. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has failed in its safeguarding duties. He says despite raising concerns for his family, the Council has scheduled to remove him from its housing register. He says his current property is unsuitable. Mr X says this has caused severe distress to him and his family.
2. Mr X wants the Council to:
• unfreeze his housing application and increase his housing points;
• allow him to be permanently relocated;
• avoid temporary accommodation; and
• apologise.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. In 2025, the Council changed its housing allocations policy. Under the revised policy, homeless applicants who move into private rented accommodation no longer receive housing points. This affected Mr X. The Council told him it would freeze his existing points and he could continue bidding for properties until April 2027. After that date, he would no longer be able to bid and the Council would remove those points. Mr X asked the Council to review its decision. He said he and his family were experiencing racial abuse and harassment at their current address and wanted the Council to allow him to continue bidding after April 2027.
7. The Council said it could not change its decision because it had applied its housing allocations policy. It told Mr X he could make a new housing application in 2027. It also advised him to report the racial abuse and harassment to the police and provided details of its community safety unit.
8. We are unlikely to find fault with a council’s assessment of a housing application where it has assessed the application in line with its published allocations scheme. I have seen no evidence to suggest the Council failed to properly assess Mr X’s housing application. The Council also appropriately advised Mr X to report the racial abuse and harassment to the police and signposted him to its community safety unit. This was the correct process.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman