Overview:

Key to names used

• Mr Y The complainant
• Ms X Mr Y’s sister and representative
• Ms Z Mr Y’s other sister

Summary

Ms X complained about how the Council responded to her brother Mr Y’s homelessness applications in 2023. We found several faults. There were months of delays by the Council and basic administrative errors. The Council repeatedly failed to respond correctly to Mr Y’s attempts to access support from its housing service. This meant that instead of being housed by the Council, Mr Y had to live with another of his sisters, Ms Z, despite her being seriously unwell and despite the impact of his mental health needs on their wellbeing. The faults caused Mr Y, Ms X and Ms Z significant stress and upset.

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)

Ms X complained on behalf of Mr Y. Ms Z was not party to the complaint. However, we have the power to make recommendations to remedy the injustice experienced by complainants and members of the public affected by fault we identify. (Local Government Act 1974 section 31(2B)). We have set out below the actions the Council has agreed to take to remedy the injustice to Mr Y and Ms X, as well as Ms Z. This is in addition to the requirement set out above. The Council will carry out the following actions within three months of the date of this report.

• Apologise to Mr Y for the impact of its failure to provide him with interim accommodation between July 2023 and March 2024 and for the upset, uncertainty and frustration the Council’s fault caused him.
• Apologise to Ms X for the upset, uncertainty and frustration she felt and the time and trouble she had to go to because of the Council’s failings.
• Apologise to Ms Z for the upset she experienced because the Council failed to house Mr Y when it should have.
• Pay Mr Y £2,000, Ms X £300 and Ms Z £400 to recognise their injustice.
• Reimburse Mr Y the cost of the bed and breakfast accommodation he paid for between the date of his first homelessness application to the Council in  July 2023 and the date it accommodated him in March 2024. This should be reduced by the amount Mr Y would have been required to pay if the Council had arranged accommodation when it should have. Before any reduction, this amounts to around £6,400.
• Backdate Mr Y’s priority date on the housing register to 13 January 2024.

Within three months of the date of this report, the Council will also take the following actions to improve its services in future.

• Review what records it has of Ms X’s contact after the November interview date and after its December 2023 complaint response to identify why it repeatedly failed to respond to her until March 2024. The Council should then consider what action it needs to take to ensure it identifies and responds to communications from homeless applicants or their representatives without delay. It should send us details of what that action will be, and when it will be completed by.

• Remind staff they must contact a homelessness applicant or their representative to confirm when they have decided to close an application for homelessness assistance.

• In light of this investigation’s findings, reconsider what it should do to ensure it issues completed, accurate Personalised Housing Plans to applicants in a timely way and acts to relieve an applicant’s homelessness during the relief duty timescale.

• Consider this report at the relevant scrutiny and oversight committee to decide what further actions the Council should take to prevent similar faults occurring in future.

The Council will provide us with evidence it has complied with the above recommendations.

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