Man wins compensation and apology after taking Milton Keynes City Council to Ombudsman for not meeting his housing needs

A man has won £1,750 compensation from the council after they failed to meet his needs and find him suitable housing.

Known only as Mr X, he took his case to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman as a last resort.

As a result, Milton Keynes City Council has been ordered to apologise, compensate him for "distress and uncertainty” caused by the failures, and review its policies for tenants with social care needs.

The Ombudsman heard that Mr X has “complex and significant mental health needs” and approached the council for help after he received notice to leave his private lodgings in 2022.

The council at first said he could not live alone due to his ill health. But it then provided him with unsuitable accommodation on his own –miles away in London.

"His accommodation was in disrepair, the doors were not lockable, the property was not safe nor licensed as a House in Multiple Occupation,” states the Ombudsman’s report.

Mr X did not have access to his regular carers, who were too far away. He told the council that this meant he could not leave the property, get to the shops or eat, adds the report.

In mid-August, the council moved Mr X to a different property, again as interim accommodation. But this also had no lockable door to his room and no heating. And once again, Mr X could not get his adult social care needs met.

To worried to cook in the shared kitchen, and unable to get to the shops, he had to rely on food deliveries, which caused him to get into debt.

Meanwhile the council’s assessment of Mr X’s support needs was delayed and eventually he suffered a mental health crisis.

The Ombudsman dealt the council a rap on the knuckles, stating: “The council’s assessment of Mr X’s homelessness application in June 2022 does not fully address his needs, particularly how housing impacts on his mental illness. It did not assess his support needs, whether he has carers, nor how accesses his medical appointments. Mr X gave the council proof of his diagnoses and shared information about his needs, but the council did not consider this information in any detail. In short, it did not have a proper understanding of Mr X’s housing needs from the start.

"The council’s failings had a serious impact on Mr X’s mental health, and his ability to continue with medical treatment. The council has agreed to take action to remedy the injustice.”

The action comes just months after MK City Council was blasted by the Housing Ombudsman for 'severe maladministration' over housing repairs left outstanding for years.

A disabled tenant brought the case after raised numerous issues with the council for up to eight years. They included defective drainage, damp, water leakage, defective windows and doors and problems with electric wiring in the council-owned bungalow she shared with her son, who is also disabled.

Afterwards the council paid her £5,500 compensation and promised action had been put in place to stop repairs being delayed.

The Housing Ombudsman said at the time: “A mother and her son, who both have disabilities, were not treated with the respect they deserved.”

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