Service improvements

London Borough of Hackney

Showing service improvements between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2026

Find out more about service improvements

When we find fault, we can recommend improvements to systems and processes where they haven’t worked properly, so that others do not suffer from these same problems in future. Common examples are policy changes; procedural reviews; and staff training. Service improvements from decisions are published for 5 years and those from reports are published for 10 years.

Showing 11 - 18 of 18 cases with service improvements

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Downloads the current filtered list of service improvement decisions for London Borough of Hackney as a CSV file.

  • London Borough of Hackney (23 014 559)

    Category: Housing Date: 23-Jun-2024

    Summary

    Miss B complained about a delay in finding suitable accommodation for her and her children and the way in which it carried out medical assessment of their housing needs. We found fault in the actions of the Council and consider Miss B lived in unsuitable accommodation for 10 months longer than she should have done. The Council has agreed to pay her £2000 and improve its procedures for the future.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to review the way its suitability procedure works to ensure written decisions are sent to applicants explaining the decision and providing a right of review where appropriate.

  • London Borough of Hackney (23 009 313)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Apr-2024

    Summary

    There was no fault in how the Council changed Ms X’s priority date on the housing register. The Council was at fault for telling Ms X to apply for a priority she would not qualify for, overlooking a bid, and delay dealing with reviews and complaints. The Council has already remedied some of the injustice caused. The Council has agreed to apologise and make a payment to Ms X. The Council is also at fault for failing to give reasonable preference in its allocations scheme to all the groups required by the Housing Act 1996.

    Service improvements

    To remedy injustice to others who have not complained the Council has agreed to review and amend the allocations policy to ensure that all those entitled to reasonable preference under the Housing Act 1996 receive such preference under the Council’s scheme.

  • London Borough of Hackney (23 001 244)

    Category: Housing Date: 14-Nov-2023

    Summary

    Miss B complained the Council delayed making a referral to Council 2 to see if it would accept the homelessness duties owed to her. She also complained the Council failed to deal with a mice infestation in her temporary accommodation. Miss B said this caused her distress and impacted her mental health. We found the Council delayed referring Miss B to Council 2 and failed to take effective action to resolve the mice infestation. The Council has agreed to make a payment to Miss B to remedy the injustice caused by its faults.

    Service improvements

    Issue a reminder to relevant staff to ensure they are aware the Council is ultimately responsible for the actions of landlords/agents of temporary accommodation.

  • London Borough of Hackney (22 012 098)

    Category: Housing Date: 16-Apr-2023

    Summary

    The Council has a clear process showing how applicants are accepted onto its direct offer list but follows a random, discretionary process to determine which properties are offered to these applicants. This adds uncertainty in terms of how long someone will wait for a direct offer and information provided about waiting times may not be accurate. The Council has agreed to take action which to better monitor the wait times and make improvements to its service.

    Service improvements

    Write to all applicants currently on the direct offer list advising them of the number of residents on the list with similar bedroom requirements and details of the number of properties of that type it let in the previous year.Produce guidance setting out how it will use its discretion to determine which properties are offered to applicants on the direct offers list.Review how it operates the direct offer waiting list to ensure prioritisation of the list is based on whether the available property meets the specific needs of applicants and, where more than one applicant on the direct offer list matches the property, it will make the offer based on priority band and then band date.Consider whether it is appropriate to include tenants requiring a temporary decant on the direct offer list or whether they should be dealt with separately as management moves.Update the website to include all the appendices for the lettings policy.

  • London Borough of Hackney (21 017 772)

    Category: Housing Date: 21-Nov-2022

    Summary

    Mr Y complains on behalf of Mr X about the way the Council dealt with his homelessness and housing applications. On the evidence seen so far, we find the Council was at fault in that it delayed in reaching a decision on whether it owed Mr X the main housing duty. It also failed to accept review requests from Mr X in relation to the suitability of his temporary accommodation and its decision on medical priority. We have recommended a remedy for the injustice caused.

    Service improvements

    The Council has also agreed that it will issue a reminder to relevant staff that possible review requests for both homelessness and housing applications contained within complaints should be identified as such and actioned accordingly.

  • London Borough of Hackney (21 017 078)

    Category: Housing Date: 26-Jul-2022

    Summary

    The Council was at fault for failing to provide suitable interim and temporary accommodation when Mr X was homeless. It also failed to protect Mr X’s property. The Council has agreed to apologise, pay Mr X £2,500, and take action to improve its services.

    Service improvements

    The Council has agreed to conduct an inspection of the property to find out if it is suitable as accommodation for homeless applicants.The Council has agreed to remind relevant staff about the duty to protect the property of certain homeless applicants and provide guidance or training to staff and accommodation providers as needed.The Council has agreed to remind staff investigating complaints to review the Council’s ownrecords to test and corroborate information provided by officers and third parties.

  • London Borough of Hackney (21 002 382)

    Category: Housing Date: 25-Feb-2022

    Summary

    Ms B complained that the Council has failed to ensure her temporary accommodation is kept in good repair and has failed to move her to alternative accommodation. The Ombudsman found the Council was at fault because it delayed in completing pest control treatment in September 2020 and delayed in completing proofing works to Ms B’s flat. In recognition of the injustice caused, the Council has agreed to apologise to Ms B and make a payment to her.

    Service improvements

    The Council will also issue a reminder to staff clarifying the circumstances in which a complainant should be referred to the HOS or to us.

  • London Borough of Hackney (21 000 713)

    Category: Housing Date: 23-Dec-2021

    Summary

    the Council delayed considering Mr B’s homeless application, failed to follow the homelessness code of guidance and failed to respond to Mr B’s contact. There is no fault in the allocation of interim accommodation to Mr B but fault by the Council meant he could not challenge the suitability of that accommodation. An apology, changes to procedures and payment to Mr B is satisfactory remedy.

    Service improvements

    The Council will draw up a process for managers to follow when a caseworker for homeless applicants is absent from work on a long-term basis.The Council will review what happened with the emails Mr B sent to the Council and draw up an action plan to address the learning from the investigation.

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