Halton Borough Council did not do enough to help a man who approached it for help when he became homeless because of domestic abuse, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found.

Instead, it closed his case without telling him why or giving him the chance to appeal the decision.

The man first approached the council for help in October 2021. The council accepted it had a duty to help him and gave him a personal housing plan. However, the Ombudsman found the council did not issue the man with a decision about whether it owed him the main housing duty and then closed his case.

The council claimed it did this because the man refused to co-operate. But the Ombudsman’s investigation found the council did not follow legislation by closing the case for this reason: it should have told the man in writing and given him the right to appeal the decision. The council claimed it had tried to keep in contact with the man before closing his case, but the Ombudsman found the council’s own records do not show this.

The council also said the man did not provide the evidence needed to support his case. Yet the evidence uncovered by the Ombudsman investigation suggests the man provided information but was not told it did not meet the council’s requirements, which instead left him reassured the council’s homelessness relief duty towards him would not end after the 56 days were up.

The Ombudsman’s investigation also found the council put an additional barrier in the man’s way before it would refer him to a different authority area for help, which was beyond what the law states.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, Ms Amerdeep Somal said:

“This man was vulnerable and a victim of domestic abuse which rendered him homeless. At this moment of crisis in his life, he turned to the council for help. The council’s failure to follow the legislation and guidance for closing a case due to deliberate and unreasonable refusal meant the man was not given the opportunity to re-engage and had his appeal rights taken away.

“All this means he missed out on the opportunity to secure accommodation and successfully bid on properties.

“I am pleased the council is now putting in place the recommendations I have made, which should improve both this man’s situation, and also ensure other homeless people in Halton are not treated in the same way.”

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 should apologise to the man and pay him a combined amount of £700 for the time and trouble and distress caused, along with a further £150 a month from March 2023 for a loss of accommodation he would otherwise have had access to.

It will also write to the man accepting the main housing duty and discuss whether he still needs temporary accommodation. It will register him on the council’s property bidding scheme, backdating to the date where the council should have accepted the main housing duty.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should review how it gives written decisions about whether it owes people a main housing duty, and also how it ensures people can access the property bidding scheme and its support for vulnerable users.

Article date: 15 May 2025