Mother who was rehoused in shoddy accommodation following an assault on her child receives council apology

Islington Town Hall. Photograph: Islington Council

A family who fled their home on police advice were put into temporary accommodation in disrepair by Islington Council, a watchdog’s investigation has revealed.

The new home, which the family moved into after their child suffered a serious assault, needed work, and they had to contact the council to remedy the situation.

They were also unhappy about the time Islington Council took to deal with their case.

The mother, known as Miss X to protect her identity, took her complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Police had advised that the family be “moved out of the area for their safety”, and that the child who was assaulted, known as Y, should not return home when they left hospital.

Repairs were sorted out within a month, but the family had to move as the landlord wanted to sell, and so they spent time in several temporary homes.

Staff from Islington Council talked to other councils and housing associations, and eventually the family moved into a permanent residence.

Miss X’s main complaint concerns the time it took for them to be offered permanent accommodation.

The Ombudsman found no fault and said it was reasonable for the council to help the family through its high-risk moves policy so they could keep their secure tenure.

Miss X also complained about delays in the council’s complaints-handling.

The Town Hall gave her £150 in compensation, with a further £150 for the inconvenience caused by the disrepair in the temporary accommodation. The Ombudsman said the remedy was reasonable.

An Islington Council spokesperson said: “We want everyone in Islington to have a place to call home which is secure, decent and genuinely affordable.

“Clearly, there were failings in the way that this case was handled, and we apologise to the resident involved.

“We fully accept the Ombudsman’s conclusions and will learn from this case. We’re currently in the process of reviewing our complaints system to see how we can better handle complaints in future.”

The spokesperson said the council is also a member of the London-wide Setting the Standard scheme, which aims to ensure that temporary housing used by councils is up to the mark.

The Ombudsman launched an investigation last month into the way Islington handles complaints. The local authority said it has improved its system and drafted in more staff.