Council pay out £6K after failing to house woman whose partner tried to abduct her child

By Alicia Curry, Local Democracy Reporter

A woman has been paid around £6,000 after a London council failed to provide her housing following the attempted abduction of her child.

Kensington and Chelsea council was found to have failed a homeless woman, known as ‘Ms X’ to keep her anonymity, who waited months to be given a suitable property despite being at risk of domestic abuse, an ombudsman report found.

Ms X has been receiving housing through the council since 2016 but expressed concerns for her safety in 2020 over fears of her family’s safety.

In 2019, Ms X’s former partner tried to abduct one of her children and as a result, the court granted Ms X a non-molestation order for one year.

But the following November she shared her worries to the council when the order was set to expire. Despite being told the council was in touch, the report claims Ms X was never responded to. 

In April 2021, Ms X contacted the council again and explained that the injunction preventing her ex-partner from contacting her had expired.

The report states she gave details of his poor mental health and erratic behaviour, which she thought increased the risk.

On two occasions that year Ms X contacted the council for help to secure a property she had found in the private rented sector.

But the ombudsman found there is no evidence of action from the council, despite concerns being raised by a social worker.

In January 2022 the council completed a new suitability assessment that concluded Ms X needs to move because of fear of violence from her ex-partner.

However, in March the managing agent for the property contacted the council to detail issues over the health and safety of Ms X’s home due to her not being able to use the bathroom facilities.

By March 2023 the council agreed to a reciprocal arrangement with another borough that took on Ms X as a responsibility.

The ombudsman report stated: “Ms X remains living in a property which is in serious disrepair and where she lives with ongoing fear about the risk to her and her children.”

The watchdog ordered the authority to apologise to Ms X and pay her £5,800 in recognition of her time spent in unsuitable accommodation.

Additionally, it will pay “£300 a month until the council provides suitable alternative accommodation or otherwise ends its main housing duty to Ms X” and “a further £500 in recognition of the avoidable distress, frustration, and missed opportunities caused by the council’s poor communication”.

A spokesperson for Kensington and Chelsea council said: “We sincerely apologise for failing to meet the high standards we set ourselves in this case and have fully accepted and complied with the Ombudsman’s agreed actions.

“We take our responsibilities to residents who are at risk of homelessness or domestic violence very seriously. We have since further trained our staff in dealing with domestic abuse cases and have employed a new Domestic Abuse Co-ordinator who is constantly improving our processes.

“We will continue to work with residents to address their specific circumstances and ensure they have safe, healthy places to live.”

Pictured top: Kensington and Chelsea town hall (Picture: Google Street View)