Council criticised for five-month investigation delay
A South London council has been ordered to pay compensation after failing to investigate an alleged assault on a pregnant woman for five months. Kingston Council came under scrutiny from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the significant delay in looking into the woman's reports.
The watchdog directed the council to pay £500 to the woman, referred to as Miss X in the official report, for the distress caused by the prolonged investigation period. Miss X had reported that the alleged attack left her too frightened to remain in her property.
Timeline of failed investigations
Miss X first contacted the council's housing team in June 2023, but officers determined she wasn't homeless or at immediate risk of homelessness. The situation escalated in June 2024 when she reported being assaulted outside her home, prompting the council to advise her to contact the housing team again.
In August 2024, the mother applied to join the council's housing register, citing severe depression and anxiety, health concerns from mould exposure in her current home, and worsened mental health following the alleged assault. The council rejected her application.
The crisis deepened in September 2024 when her landlord served an eviction notice due to rent arrears. While the council then accepted she was eligible for assistance and worked with her landlord to prevent homelessness, it wasn't until December 2024 - approximately five months after the initial report - that the council began investigating the alleged assault.
Ombudsman findings and council response
The ombudsman's investigation found the council at fault for failing to investigate Miss X's reported assault at the appropriate time. The watchdog stated the council had a duty to enquire into the alleged assault when Miss X reported it in July 2024 to determine whether it was reasonable for her to continue living at the property.
The report highlighted that the council repeated this fault by missing opportunities to make enquiries in August when she applied to join the housing register, and again in September when she received the eviction notice.
While the council had initially offered Miss X £250 recognising their failure, the ombudsman determined that £500 represented suitable compensation given Miss X's vulnerability - having suffered an assault while pregnant and experiencing mental health problems.
A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "We are committed to doing all we can to provide quality housing for residents and ensure people in the borough have a safe and comfortable place to live. We accept the LGO ruling. We have apologised to Ms X and a payment of £500 has been made to her."
The council confirmed it has since advised staff about the need to refer applicants to housing solutions when threats of violence are mentioned and has reviewed its staff procedures.
