The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about a rent advance loan from the Council in 2020. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.
The complaint
Mr X complained about the Council failing to respond to his request for it to turn a rental loan advance of £1,300 into a grant.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X says he asked the Council to consider changing a rental loan which it gave him into a grant in 2020. The Council initially refused but he says an independent reviewer recommended that the loan be changed. The Council later overruled this recommendation and insisted it was a repayable loan.
Mr X wrote to the Council in September 2020 and asked it to reconsider. When he did not get a suitable response he wrote again in December 2020. He did not raise the matter with us until October 2022 which is outside the 12-month period for receiving complaints. Mr X has used our service previously in 2020 and there is no evidence to suggest that he could not have complained to us sooner.
Final decision
We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about a rent advance loan from the Council in 2020. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman