Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about poor communication and lack of support from the Council’s homelessness service. The Council upheld his complaint about poor communication, apologised for this and offered a financial remedy. It has also since made him an offer of housing. An investigation would be unlikely to lead to a different outcome or achieve anything more.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about poor communication and a lack of support from the Council’s homelessness services. He says this has caused uncertainty and distress. He wants the Council to communicate with him effectively and provide support to relieve his homelessness.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. In its complaint response, the Council upheld that there had been delay progressing his homelessness application and a lack of communication. It apologised to him for this and offered a symbolic financial remedy for the time and trouble taken to raise his concerns. It set out the actions it had since taken to support him to relieve his homelessness and said it would learn from his experience to help improve its service.
6. Since bringing his complaint to us, the Council has made Mr X an offer of social housing.
7. We will not investigate this complaint. The Council accepted there was poor communication in this case and has offered Mr X a suitable remedy for the distress caused. It has also committed to learning from his experience to improve its service and has made him an offer of housing. It is unlikely an investigation would lead to a different outcome or achieve anything more.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is unlikely an investigation would lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman