By training or other means, remind officers that they should promptly assess the risk to applicants and decide without delay whether their accommodation remains suitable to occupy in the event they disclose they are at risk of domestic abuse.Ensure the Council has a process to identify and escalate complaints about homelessness and housing which have exceeded the corporate complaints procedure’s timescales for a response. This is to ensure the Council responds to complaints in accordance with the timescales set out in the Council’s corporate complaints procedure and without significant delay.Share the learning from this complaint with officers responsible for temporary accommodation and repairs in the Council’s interim and temporary accommodation, including accommodation procured from private landlords. This is to ensure officers are aware that the failure to respond to requests for service or questions may hinder the Council’s duty to provide suitable interim and temporary accommodation.

The Council has agreed to review its procedures to ensure that homeless applicants who are not computer literate, are communicated with effectively either by using a postal address, or where the applicant has a representative, by sharing key decision letters with them.

The Council agreed to review the faults identified in this case and produce an action plan for changes it will make to its housing service procedures, to ensure it:properly considers the suitability of interim and temporary accommodation offered to homeless applicants;where a complaint is about the suitability of temporary accommodation for a homeless applicant, considers this via the correct statutory review procedure rather than responding via the complaints procedure;where a complaint is upheld, ensures promised actions are completed;responds to complaints within the timescales set out in its complaints procedure; and directs to the correct Ombudsman service when it issues its final complaint response.