Southwark council ordered to pay out to family of four stuck in a single room for two years

By Hannah Neary, Local Democracy Reporter

A town hall has been ordered to pay £2,000 to a family of four who were stuck in a single room for two years.

The housing ombudsman found Southwark council took too long to deal with a father’s application for a new home, which meant he was stuck living in unsuitable conditions with his wife and children.

The man, known as Mr Y, has been given £2,000 compensation from the council and should be rehoused as soon as possible after the authority caused multiple delays in his housing application.

The family’s ordeal began in April 2018, when Mr Y applied for council housing because they’d all been living in a cramped studio flat since 2016.

Southwark council rejected his application, arguing he didn’t meet the local connection criteria but Mr Y appealed the decision, confirming his wife worked in the borough.

The council then reopened his case but it wasn’t until April 2019 – a year later – that he was put on the housing waiting list at Band 4.

Mr Y appealed the decision, arguing he should be put at Band 3 because his family were overcrowded. The council then moved him to Band 3 in June 2020.

The delays in the time the council took to gather evidence for Mr Y’s case and it’s decision to put him in Band 4 were faults, according to a report by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The watchdog ruled that Mr Y could have successfully bid for a Band 3 property between 2019 and June 2020 if the council hadn’t bungled his case.

The report said: “The council is at fault as it delayed in seeking the specific information it required to determine if Mr Y was eligible to join the housing register. It also delayed in awarding band 3 priority.

“On balance, the delays caused Mr Y to miss successfully bidding on a three bedroomed property and caused him and his family to live in unsuitable accommodation for longer than necessary.”

Southwark council agreed to apologise to Mr Y and pay him £2,000 to acknowledge the distress caused to him and his family after they had to live in unsuitable accommodation for longer than needed.

It was also told to offer the family a three-bedroomed property as soon as one’s available and review the way it allocates housing to avoid future issues.

The report said £2,000 is a higher payment than the amount that would usually be given out, but the ombudsman considered it appropriate to cover the impact of living in over-crowded conditions for longer than necessary.

Councillor Darren Merrill, cabinet member for council homes and homelessness, said: “We respect the Ombudsman’s decision and we have taken forward all the recommendations – the family has been compensated and has accepted a three-bedroomed, appropriately sized, property for their needs.

“We are sorry for the mistakes we made with this family and for their distress. We’re continuing to support them for as long as they need it.”

Pictured top: Southwark council’s offices in Tooley Street (Picture: Southwark Council Offices
cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Stephen Craven – geograph.org.uk/p/2727779)