Council Slammed By Ombudsman after Failing Homeless People

Bristol City Council has been failing in its legal duty to provide homeless people with the chance to appeal against its decisions not to house them, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has ruled.  The problem was uncovered after a woman complained to the LGO that the council had not found her accommodation, five months after she contacted them for help. The woman first approached the council in August 2012 but she was not offered temporary accommodation as the council did not consider her eligible. On no occasion did the local authority write to tell her it would not house her, something it has a legal duty to perform.  This meant that, without a written decision, the woman never knew for certain whether the council would house her and was denied the chance to appeal against the decision, either via an internal review within the council, or through the courts.  Read more on 24dash.