Council ordered to pay family it failed to house

Tower Hamlets Council failed to respond adequately to the family, the ombudsman found

An east London council has been ordered to pay a family facing eviction £1,355 for failing to provide adequate support to them.

The family, which includes a disabled father, sought assistance from Tower Hamlets Council after receiving an eviction notice in November 2021.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman which ordered the compensation found the council failed to offer the family interim housing support.

Tower Hamlets Council said it "fully accepts the report and its findings" and put its inadequate response to the family down to "unprecedented demand for housing".

As they did not receive support, the family stayed put in the house without knowing if the council would support them until they were eventually evicted by bailiffs, the ombudsman's report stated.

The family had to spend several months in bed and breakfast accommodation away from their support networks and health services.

'Humiliation and indignity'

They were eventually moved to self-contained accommodation.

The ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said: “This case clearly demonstrates how vital it is for councils to follow the correct process at the earliest opportunity to achieve the best possible outcome for vulnerable families at risk of losing their homes.

“Instead, Tower Hamlets relied on gatekeeping their services – and not acting until the family’s situation was desperate."

She added the family faced the "humiliation and indignity" of being evicted by bailiffs and the "embarrassment of having to ask friends and family to look after their belongings until they were properly housed".

Tower Hamlets Council agreed to apologise to the family and pay them a combined £1,355 for the "uncertainty, worry and avoidable costs incurred".

The ombudsman's spokesperson said the council also accepted its recommendations to reassess the family's housing needs and improve staff training and processes to better handle homelessness cases.

A spokesperson for the council said: "These findings came at a time when we were facing unprecedented demand for housing and homelessness services.

“Our team is working hard to improve and already acting on the report’s recommendations.”