Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s housing issues. Most of the issues raised are not within the scope of matters we can investigate, and the issue which is for this office is unlikely to result in a worthwhile outcome if we were to investigate.

The complaint

1. Mr X raised numerous complaints about the management of his social housing. All of these issues are outside the scope of what the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can investigate.
2. Mr X also complains the Council offered him only one housing option and subjected him to discrimination and harassment.

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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 no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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

4. We cannot investigate complaints about the provision or management of social housing by a council acting as a registered social housing provider. (Local Government Act 1974, paragraph 5A schedule 5, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

7. Mr X has raised complaint about the management of his social housing. All such complaints should be raised with the Housing Ombudsman.
8. I have considered the Council’s housing allocation policy which states it will make up to two suitable offers but may make just one. We are therefore unlikely to consider the offer of one housing option is fault.
9. I have not seen any evidence the Council has harassed Mr X or discriminated against him in the way it dealt with his discretionary housing payment or in making an offer of housing.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because most of the issues are not within the scope of what we can investigate, and we would not be able to achieve a worthwhile outcome by investigating the issues we can.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman