Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to pay compensation for delay in dealing with Miss X’s complaint about her housing application and failure to issue a Stage 2 complaint response. The Council has paid the compensation and a Stage 2 response was issued the same week that Ms X complained to us. There is insufficient injustice remaining to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about the Council’s failure to respond at Stage 2 to her complaint about its handling of her housing application. She escalated the complaint from Stage 1 in November 2025 and had not received a response by January when she complained to us. She also says that the stage 1 response awarded her £130 in compensation for delay and distress caused by the handling of her application. when she asked when it would be paid the Council told her no compensation had been offered.

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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:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, 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 and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Miss X complained to the Council about its handling of her housing application in November 2025. She said that the Council delayed dealing with her original complaint about this and that she had been told compensation would be awarded but this was later denied. We considered the assessment of her application and concerns about safeguarding in her temporary accommodation in a previous complaint ref: 25 018 096 and found no fault.
6. Miss X’s new complaint in November resulted in a response which explained how the compensation would be awarded, including £40 for delay, £40 for distress and £50 for time and trouble. She escalated her complaint to Stage 2 and was informed she would have a response by 19 December. She did not receive a response or the compensation by January 2026 and complained to us. She then received the response within days of making her complaint to us.
7. The Council’s response did not mention the compensation previously agreed and we made enquiries about this. The Council has since sent us confirmation that the compensation has been paid. It also confirmed that a referral to the Social welfare Panel which had been part of the Stage 1 response had been carried out and this was declined because she did not meet the threshold.
8. We will not investigate this compalint because the matters which Miss X complained about were addressed after she complained to us and before this assessment could be completed. There is no remaining injustice which would warrant an investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to pay compensation for delay in dealing with Miss X’s complaint about her housing application and failure to issue a Stage 2 complaint response. The Council has paid the compensation and a Stage 2 response was issued the same week that Ms X complained to us. There is insufficient injustice remaining to warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman