Nottingham City Council (21 001 001)
Category : Housing > Homelessness
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 10 Jun 2021
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council incorrectly handled the complainants homelessness application. This is because the events happened too long ago.
The complaint
- The complainant, who I will refer to as Mr C, complains about how the Council dealt with his homelessness application in 2017.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered Mr C’s complaint and the additional information he provided. I sent Mr C a draft version of this decision and invited his comments.
What I found
- In August 2017, Mr C presented himself as homeless to the Council and asked it to provide him with support. The Council rejected Mr C’s application because it concluded that he did not have a local connection to the area.
- In November 2020, Mr C contacted Citizens Advice and was told that, based on the information he provided, the Council should have offered him and his family temporary accommodation and assistance to secure long term accommodation.
Assessment
- I will not investigate Mr C’s complaint about how the Council dealt with his homelessness application. This is because the events happened too long ago. The law says we cannot investigate complaints when someone has taken more than 12 months to complain to us. In Mr C’s case it has been more than three years. I have considered Mr C’s reasons for the delay but have seen no compelling evidence as to why Mr C could not have complained sooner.
Final decision
- I will not investigate this complaint. This is because the events happened too long ago, and I see no reason why Mr C could not have complained sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman