Council Put Pregnant Woman in Unsuitable Accommodation
Forced to share facilities with strangers for six months
Cllr Dikerdem apologised blaming 'worst housing crisis for 30 years'
October 21, 2024
A pregnant council tenant om Wandsworth was left in unsuitable accommodation for too long, a watchdog has found. Wandsworth Council has paid the woman £1,200 after an investigation ruled it caused her distress by leaving her in the property from June to November last year, where she had to share facilities with strangers.
The woman, named Miss X in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report, applied to the council as homeless in March last year as her mum’s home was overcrowded. She said she could not share facilities with other people due to her medical conditions.
The council moved Miss X into emergency accommodation with shared facilities that month. She complained about the property in April, but the council completed a medical assessment which ruled she did not need a self-contained flat.
The authority then moved Miss X into temporary accommodation in June, which also had shared facilities. She was pregnant at the time, about which she had told the council in May.
Miss X’s legal advisor requested a review of the accommodation in August due to the shared facilities. The council agreed it was unsuitable in September, after asking for more information on her health. It did not move her until alternative temporary accommodation until November.
The ombudsman found the council at fault for not considering whether to reassess the suitability of Miss X’s accommodation when she provided evidence of her pregnancy in May. The report said it also delayed accepting the main housing duty towards her and responded to complaints poorly.
The report said, “On a balance of probabilities, had the council carried out the reassessment it would likely have concluded the property was no longer suitable. Miss X was left in unsuitable interim accommodation for longer than necessary which caused her distress and uncertainty.”
The ombudsman told the council to apologise to Miss X and pay her £1,200 to ‘recognise the distress of living in unsuitable accommodation between June and November’. It also backdated her application to join the housing waiting list to May.
Labour councillor Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing, said, “Wandsworth Council takes the safety of its residents incredibly seriously. We are committed to providing safe, secure housing for those that need it even in the face of the worst housing crisis for 30 years, with record numbers of households now living in temporary accommodation.
“We accept the ombudsman’s findings and have apologised, fully paying the compensation ordered. We regret the distress this has caused and are committed to learning from this experience to improve our processes.”
Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter