Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the handling of X’s housing applications. This is because the complaint is made late and because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.

The complaint

1. X complains that the Council placed them in a lower band after X refused an offer of accommodation in 2025 and delayed considering their review. X also complains that the Council omitted their spouse from an application made in 2022 and is responsible for damage to X’s property in 2023.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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))
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.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. I will not investigate X’s complaint about damage to their property in 2023. This is because we have already considered a complaint from X about this matter and we do not accept repeat complaints about the same matters.
7. I will not investigate X’s complaint that the Council failed to include their spouse in an application for housing in 2022 or that it placed X in a lower band in early 2025. This is because these complaints are made late and I see no good reason why they could not have been made sooner.
8. Even if we were to exercise discretion and consider X’s complaint about being placed in a lower band, there would be no worthwhile outcome. This is because the lowering of the band was for twelve months, which has now expired.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate X’s complaint because it is made late.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman