Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the complainant’s housing application because it is a late complaint.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Ms X, wants the Council to backdate her housing application.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
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 Ms X and the Council. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X made several housing applications between 2002 and 2017. The Council closed some of the applications because Ms X did not renew them. In 2020 Ms X challenged some of the decisions and referred to backdating. The Council responded in 2020.
6. In 2025 Ms X contacted the Council about its response in 2020. Ms X continues to seek backdating. The Council gave some advice, told her how to apply for medical priority, and invited her to update her application.
7. I will not start an investigation because this is a late complaint. Ms X has been seeking backdating since at least 2020 and waited five years to respond to the Council’s response of 2020. I have not seen any good reason to accept such a late complaint and it is unlikely anything meaningful could be achieved.

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Final decision

8. We will not start an investigation because this is a late complaint.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman