Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decisions relating to a housing application. This is because the matters X is complaining about, happened more than 12 months ago, and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

The complaint

1. X complained about the Council’s handling of her now deceased son’s (Y) housing application. X said it delayed considering Y’s application and did not properly take account of Y’s medical circumstances. X said they were concerned about the impartiality of the Council’s independent advisors, who considered Y’s health conditions.
2. X said the Council’s actions affected Y’s physical and mental health.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

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 the complainant and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. I have read the correspondence X sent to us and understand this will have been a challenging and difficult experience for them to complain to us.
6. In late 2023, and early 2024, X was in contact with the Council about matters affecting Y’s housing application. X was unhappy with the decisions relating to Y’s medical priority. X made a complaint about this, and the Council replied at stage one of its complaint handling procedures in June 2024. It replied to X’s complaint at stage two in October 2024. X made a complaint to us in June 2026.
7. I have considered whether there are good reasons for us to exercise discretion to consider X's complaint. The law, explained in paragraph three, says we should not investigate late complaints unless there are good reasons why a complaint could not have been made sooner. I have not seen sufficient evidence of good reasons in X’s case, that a complaint could not have been made to us within 12 months, and so will not investigate.

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Final decision

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

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman