Council given rolling penalty for failing disabled resident

OMBUDSMAN ORDERS AUTHORITY TO PAY OUT £150 A MONTH UNTIL ISSUE IS FIXED

- By ADRIAN ZORZUT

KENSINGTON and Chelsea Council has been ordered to pay a disabled resident almost £2,000 up front and £150 a month, every month, until she finds suitable accommodation.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said the authority had caused the tenant, known only as Miss X, distress and injustice by leaving her in inappropriate temporary accommodation for more than 14 months.

The council was ordered to apologise and pay Miss X £300 for the injustice caused by the handling of her case, plus £150 for each month she has already lived in unsuitable temporary accommodation - which, after deductions, totalled a further £1,600.

The ombudsman said that if Kensington and Chelsea Council did not provide Miss X with a suitable flat after six months, it would consider opening a new investigation.

The decision came after Miss X made a formal complaint to the council in May 2024 saying they had failed to provide her with alternative suitable temporary accommodation since December of the previous year, and had communicated with her poorly.

She reported that her housing situation was affecting her health and asked to be moved to a suitable flat outside the borough, preferably one with outdoor space.

The council apologised and awarded her an additional 900 bidding points. It also said there was a severe shortage of available and affordable temporary accommodation, and that it would notify her once a property became available. It did not provide her with a timeframe.