The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Miss X’s housing situation. The complaint is late and there are no grounds for us to now consider it.
The complaint
The complainant, whom I shall refer to as Miss X, complained about the Council’s handling of her housing situation. Miss X complained the Council wrongly placed a third party on her temporary accommodation agreement. This led to her eviction, separation from her children, and an impact on her mental health.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
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 and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Ombudsman normally expects people to complain to us within twelve months of them becoming aware of a problem. Miss X’s complaint relates to matters dating back to 2019 and is therefore late. We look at each complaint individually, and on its merits, considering the circumstances of each case. But we do not exercise discretion to accept a late complaint unless there are good reasons to do so. I do not consider that to be the case here. Miss X could have complained much earlier and so we will not investigate.
Final decision
We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no grounds to now investigate.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman