Overview:

Key to names used

• Miss X The complainant

Summary

Miss X complained about how the Council dealt with her housing application when she was pregnant and homeless having fled domestic abuse.

Finding

Fault found causing injustice and recommendations made.

Recommendations

The Council must consider the report and confirm within three months the action it has taken or proposes to take. The Council should consider the report at its full Council, Cabinet or other appropriately delegated committee of elected members and we will require evidence of this. (Local Government Act 1974, section 31(2), as amended)

To remedy the injustice to Miss X from the faults identified, the Council has agreed to:

• apologise to Miss X in line with our guidance on Making an effective apology;

• invite Miss X for an assessment of her homelessness and offer interim accommodation if necessary;

• do a new review of Miss X’s application to the housing register, having invited her to provide further information; and

• pay Miss X £1,000 to recognise her significant and avoidable distress, uncertainty, and missed opportunities over a prolonged period.

The Council should also take the following action to improve its services:

• Provide training or guidance on domestic abuse to all staff dealing with allocations applications and reviews, including the statutory definition of domestic abuse, the relevant standard of proof, and the information and evidence which may be relevant.

• Provide training or guidance to ensure all front-line staff, particularly those dealing with applications to the housing register, can identify when the Council’s duty to make inquiries into homelessness is triggered and refer the matter to the appropriate service.

• Remind staff dealing with reviews of allocations decisions that the purpose of a review is to reconsider the decision, taking into account any new information and changes of circumstances since the original decision. This should include any changes to the Council’s policies.

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