Council offers Luton resident £100 for "injustice caused" over homelessness assessment

She also complained to the local government and social care ombudsman about the issue. But the local government watchdog decided the council “has taken the appropriate action to prevent reoccurrence of this fault”, according to the ombudsman’s report.

LBC’s offer of £100 as “a remedy for the injustice caused means there’s no wider public interest issues to justify our investigation”, explained the report.

“The resident complained that the local authority didn’t act in a timely manner after a homelessness assessment, and was also unhappy about the way she was treated during the assessment. She said this caused her anxiety and ongoing distress.

“She complained LBC didn’t treat her with respect during the homelessness assessment and there wasn’t a timely response following this assessment. She also said the council didn’t take safeguarding action, and she had to chase LBC for updates.

“We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation, if we’re satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. In response to her complaint, the council has apologised for not issuing her a personalised housing plan in a timely manner.

“It offered a symbolic payment of £100, allocated her case to a different council officer and provided extra training support to its team. These actions are appropriate.

“The remedy provided by the local authority is suitable and we wouldn’t achieve anything more by inquiring further. For this reason, we won’t investigate this complaint,” added the ombudsman’s report.

“This is because the council has taken appropriate action already to prevent reoccurrence of that fault and offered the £100 payment as a remedy for injustice.”