Ealing council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for leaving a young homeless family in a 10th floor flat with faulty windows for nearly 18 months.

The council agreed the flat was unsuitable and had disrepair issues which also included leaks, damp, mould, and exposed electrical cables when the family complained about the temporary accommodation in May 2021.

It placed the family on its transfer list, but it was not until late October 2022 – some 17 months later - that the family was eventually moved to alternative accommodation.

The family complained to the Ombudsman when they were not satisfied with the council’s response to their concerns. The Ombudsman’s investigation found the council was not properly recording the actions it was taking to secure alternative temporary accommodation, which means there is no audit trail for staff to refer to.  

The council also cannot demonstrate the action it took to find suitable accommodation for the family. The investigation also criticised the council’s delay in finding suitable accommodation for the family.

Nigel Ellis, Chief Executive at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

While we are mindful of the difficulties councils face – particularly in London – in securing accommodation, councils must ensure that the accommodation they do provide is suitable.

In this case, not only was the accommodation not suitable, it was beset with disrepair issues. The family have told me of their concerns for their children living in a high-rise flat with unsafe windows and exposed electrics.

I am pleased the council has accepted my recommendations to remedy the situation for this family. It has told me there are 31 other households on its transfer list for temporary accommodation, so I have asked it to consider remedying any complaints of injustice to those other households too.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council has agreed to apologise to the family and pay them £3,400 to acknowledge the 17 months they lived in unsuitable accommodation with disrepair issues.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council will review its record keeping procedures to develop a system of recording actions taken to find accommodation for individual applicants.

Article date: 22 June 2023