Islington Council pays £2,850 for 19-month housing delay

Islington Council has paid £2,850 to a resident after a 19-month delay in processing his homelessness application and allocating housing. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council caused injustice to the man, who has severe mobility issues and had to wait over a year in unsuitable accommodation.

Ombudsman's Findings

The Ombudsman found that the council delayed the full processing of the man's homelessness application by 19 months. The resident was initially told that his inability to climb stairs did not make him a priority for rehousing, a decision later overturned on appeal. The review of his case took over four months, exceeding the statutory limit. Subsequently, the council took another two months to assign a new housing officer and then a further 10 months to formally accept a 'main housing duty' towards the resident. An error by a housing officer then resulted in a further four-month delay before the man was placed in temporary accommodation.

The resident was finally offered permanent housing in May 2026. The Ombudsman noted that the man likely spent significantly longer than necessary in unsuitable accommodation. The council had initially offered £1,900 as a symbolic payment, but the Ombudsman determined this did not adequately reflect the stress and uncertainty caused, calculating compensation at £150 per month of delay.

Council Response

A spokesperson for Islington Council stated, "We sincerely apologise for the failings identified in this case and for the distress this caused to the individual involved. We recognise the impact this had, and we are glad that suitable permanent accommodation has now been found." The council has implemented new procedures to improve timeliness and strengthened oversight of communication standards. Targeted recruitment has also increased service capacity to better manage demand and improve resilience.