Second homeless family is refused a payout by council

OMBUDSMAN FINDS FAULT IN TIME SPENT IN B&BS

- By HANNAH RICHARDSON

LONG delays in finding a homeless family suitable accommodation was an injustice, a watchdog says.

However, Leicester City Council has declined to pay the family the recommended full “symbolic payment”.

The city family complained they could not eat hot food, struggled with “poor sleep” and the children’s education suffered.

They were split between several rooms and moved between B&Bs on a number of occasions between becoming homeless in August 2023 and moving into a suitable property in July 2024, a report said.

Amerdeep Clarke, the local government and social care ombudsman, said the experience caused the family distress and is likely to have had a detrimental impact on their mental health.

The watchdog called on the city council to make a symbolic payment of £3,525 to the family for the “injustice” they suffered by their stay in B&Bs. It is the second time the authority has said it will not pay out to a family left in unsuitable accommodation beyond the legal time frame.

The council was told to pay the previous family £1,300 for the “distress caused by living in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than they should have done” and an additional £150 for each month the family remained in unsuitable accommodation.