TWENTY-Five wrongdoing cases were upheld against Havering Council last year, out of the 120 referred to the local government ombudsmen reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
The cash-strapped council was ordered to pay out £19,808 in compensation between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025, according to a recently published council report.
More than £9,000 was paid via the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO), and a further £10,623 via the Housing Ombudsman (HO).
Ombudsmen function as independent adjudicators that assess serious complaints made against local authorities and healthcare providers.
The LGSCO – which deals with issues such as homelessness, antisocial behaviour, and bins – upheld 16 of the 19 cases it investigated.
Of the £9,185 worth of compensation, the bulk – some £4,825 – went to residents who had suffered issues with homelessness.
A further £2,500 was paid to offset housing issues, and £1,000 for complaints regarding antisocial behaviour.
The LGSCO sent a letter to Havering informing them that in “multiple cases” its investigation was delayed by “your council’s failure to respond to us in a timely manner”.
In a bid to reduce these delays, the council set up a dedicated complaints board in December last year. It says it hopes the board will “not only reduce the number of complaints but improve customer/resident satisfaction and reduce the amount of compensation paid out in future”.
Similarly, “almost all” of the complaints lodged to the Housing Ombudsman related to the way the complaint had been handled.
Havering was ordered to pay out £7,408 over damp and mouldy homes, and a further £1,715 in how it dealt with residents’ complaints.
The HO asked the council to consider a new damp and mould policy, which it published in April last year. Emergency mould cases are to be handled within ten days, and surveyors can carry out “damp MOTs” to assess homes and offer advice on preventing condensation.
Despite the ombudsmen’s involvement in 120 cases, the council says complaints are often resolved quickly.
Havering received a total of 3,420 in that twelve-month period but just 368 were escalated to the second stage. A third were then referred to an ombudsman, which upheld 28% of claims the council had failed a resident.
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