London Borough of Lambeth (20 006 282)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: Ms B complained about how the Council dealt with her application for housing. After making her complaint she found suitable accommodation. She therefore withdrew her complaint and we discontinued our investigation at her request.
The complaint
- The complainant, whom I shall call Ms B, complained about how the Council dealt with her application for housing after she had been made homeless and placed in temporary accommodation. She complained she was shown unsuitable properties and that there were long delays in the processing of her case. This affected her because she was expecting a baby and needed to find a suitable home quickly.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe for example if we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
- We can decide whether to start or discontinue an investigation into a complaint within our jurisdiction. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 24A(6) and 34B(8), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered all the information Ms B provided about her complaint and issued some written enquiries to the Council.
What I found
- After I issued my enquiries to the Council, Ms B contacted me. She confirmed she had now secured suitable privately-rented accommodation.
- When she made her complaint, Ms B’s principal desired outcome was to secure suitable accommodation for herself and her child. As she had now achieved this, she confirmed she no longer wished to pursue her complaint.
Final decision
- I have treated the complaint as withdrawn and have discontinued my investigation at the request of Ms B.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman