Disabled homeless woman who suffered 'distress and pain' gets payout from Bucks Council

The local authority failed to review the temporary accommodation of the resident, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said.

The regulator told the council it must pay the woman, ‘Miss X’ £385 – half of the rent arrears she accrued while at her former housing site.

It also called for an additional payment of £300 to recognise her unsuitable accommodation and the ‘distress, pain and fatigue’ she experienced.

The council placed the woman in temporary accommodation in September 2022, but she asked for the authority to find her an alternative.

This was because the housing was too far from where she worked, and her health conditions meant that a long drive caused her ‘severe pain and fatigue’.

Miss X said her health conditions rendered her disabled and the housing the council had placed her in put her at a ‘substantial disadvantage’.

However, the council did not respond to her requests for months and she racked up £770 of rent arrears as she was forced to reduce her work hours.

Although the council eventually found her more suitable accommodation, the ombudsman found ‘fault’ with the authority, saying: “It did not meet its legal duty to carry out reviews when requested.”

The ombudsman added: “I also found that the Council did not have proper regard to its duties under the equality act. This too was [a] fault.”

The council has been approached for comment by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.