Luton mum to receive £100 compensation from council after delay delivering mattress

A Bedfordshire mother is to receive £100 from Luton Borough Council because it took too long to deliver a mattress to her temporary accommodation.
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And the local authority has a month to decide whether to contribute towards her removal costs, according to a report by the local government and social care ombudsman.

Miss X, as she is referred to, complained about the way the council arranged a move to a short-term address in Luton in September 2018.

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She also complained about defects and disrepair in the house, which caused damage to her personal belongings, and adversely affected her family’s health.

Luton Town HallLuton Town Hall
Luton Town Hall

Miss X and her children have been in temporary accommodation in the Luton area for several years.

The complaints relate to the property they occupied for seven months from mid-September 2018 until late April 2019, explained the ombudsman

Miss X and her family have since moved to an alternative short-term location, about which she has also complained.

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The council refused to reimburse her removal costs, said the ombudsman.

It didn’t inform her about her right to request a review of the suitability of the temporary housing.

Miss X needed to move because her teenage daughter had returned to live with her and there was insufficient bedroom space.

“The council offered her a property in mid-September 2018 and gave her 24 hours’ notice of the move.

“She wasn’t working and received benefits.

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“The local authority says it cannot always give applicants much notice because properties often become available at short notice.

“The lack of notice was not fault,” added the ombudsman.

“Miss X told me she used her benefits and borrowed money to pay for a van and two men to move her belongings to the new home. She paid £475 in cash.

“The council refused to reimburse her,” as it deals with requests on a case-by-case basis, “and this caused financial hardship”.

In October 2018, Miss X made a complaint to the council.

“The council said it has a duty to protect public funds, so it could not authorise a payment without satisfactory invoices or receipts.”

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But the local authority should have told her she could apply for a one-off payment under its Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) policy.

“This left Miss X short of money to meet her living expenses,” said the ombudsman.

“The council contacted the man who did the move, but he said he had ceased trading.

“As it cannot produce any evidence that an officer gave her appropriate advice about DHPs on September 13th, Miss X may have missed out on help with removal costs.

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“I’ve recommended action the council should take now to provide a remedy.”

The ombudsman said the council was at fault because it did not notify Miss X in writing that she could ask for a suitability review.

“I am particularly concerned that this happened just six days after the local authority gave the ombudsman an assurance all temporary accommodation applicants would be informed of their review rights.

“The council’s records show the bed was delivered the day after her tenancy started, but the mattress only arrived a month later.

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“The delay in providing the mattress was fault. She suffered discomfort and inconvenience as a result.

“Miss X complained the property was more than five miles from her children’s school and she had to pay bus fares,” added the ombudsman.

“Her children moved to a new school on October 31, 2018, within walking distance.

“The council’s failure to make a written record of the suitability assessment was fault.”