Ombudsman accuses borough council of gatekeeping homelessness applications
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has accused Brentwood Borough Council of gatekeeping access to its homelessness services.
The Ombudsman said that following an investigation into a complaint, it had raised concerns with the way the council assessed homeless applications, including the level of detail it required before it would even allocate cases to an officer.
The investigation found Brentwood “required far more information at the earliest stage of the application process than it needed to make an initial assessment, including bank statements and a five-year address history”.
It also suggested that the council set an arbitrary limit to the time it should take people to make their applications, and closed their cases if they failed to provide all information, or did so after the deadline had passed.
The Ombudsman said that, over a six-month period it investigated, Brentwood closed around two-thirds of cases (216 cases out of 326) “despite those applicants meeting the low threshold, set out in law, in which it must make inquiries”. This is where the council has ‘reason to believe’ the applicants might be homeless.
This meant the council had a duty to consider, and make a decision on, all 216 cases. In all, it made a proper decision in just 22 cases, according to the Ombudsman.
Following the investigation, Brentwood has agreed to review its housing advice and other correspondence to identify cases where people may be in need and where the council owes them a duty. It will also contact all applicants whose cases were closed during the period to invite them to continue their applications.
The council will also review and amend its triage process to ensure it meets its obligations to homeless people and those people threatened with homelessness.
The Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, said: “We have issued this report because I have serious concerns about the way the council has been managing its homelessness service, in a way that suggests it has been artificially restricting numbers by putting unnecessary barriers in the way.
“Councils have a duty to assess whether people are homeless, but this duty arises when they have reason to believe an applicant might be homeless or threatened with homelessness. Not when they decide the applicant has jumped through all the right hoops.”
She added: “I am also concerned the council has been closing cases where people have not completed all its required steps, regardless of their circumstances. In some cases this has left particularly vulnerable people, such as those threatened with domestic abuse, or those who are rough sleeping, being dismissed without proper consideration.
“This overly-rigid approach amounts to gatekeeping – and it is likely the council has been failing in its duties to the people most at risk in the borough.
“I hope the council will learn from the issues we have highlighted and the change of approach it is now undertaking will ensure it meets its duties to other people at risk of homelessness in the borough.”
Jonathan Stephenson, Chief Executive of Brentwood Borough Council, said the authority accepted the findings of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and acknowledged there were failings with the past triage process, which it apologised for.
He added: "I can confirm that we have already undertaken a review of the service and have implemented a range of measures to improve the triage process. We have addressed the issues raised in the report and have actioned the report’s recommendations. We are committed to offering help, advice and assistance to our vulnerable homeless and those at risk of homelessness, in line with our duty and legislation.”
