A MOTHER and her autistic son living next to a railway waited ‘too long’ for the council to decide whether to give them additional priority for housing. 

After the mother complained, the local government ombudsman found that West Berkshire Council was at fault for the delay. 

The mother, who the ombudsman called Mrs B, applied for additional priority for housing. Her young son has ‘significant cognitive delay and sensory processing difficulties’. and he finds the noise of the trains ‘disturbing’.

The council allocates housing on a points-based system, with medical or social needs giving extra points. 

In September 2017, Mrs B applied for medical needs points. She did not receive a response from the council until April last year, which said while she was awarded no medical points, officers scored her 10 for social needs. 

Mrs B then requested the council review the decision. After this, in June last year, she was awarded 10 medical points. 

However, Mrs B’s MP wrote to the council in January this year, complaining. West Berkshire Council apologised, acknowledging the delay, and offered her £250.

The ombudsman said: “The council said it was reviewing how time taken to assess applications might be reduced, while keeping them thorough and fair. Its policy did not detail a timeframe for such assessment, and that it would review the policy in light of the complaint”.

Mrs B declined the offer of £250, exercising her right to have her complaint considered by the ombudsman, who said: “[The council] took too long to decide on the application Mrs B made in September 2017, as it did not do so until April 2018.

“The council engaged external medical advisers for a period to clear the backlog of work, and in responding to Mrs B’s complaint, it said it would review its policy to decide if it should be amended.

“The delay in processing Mrs B’s application did not disadvantage her in terms of her bids for property, but did cause her some frustration, time and trouble pursuing the matter.

“As the sum of £250 the council offered is in line with the ombudsman’s guidance on remedy in such circumstances, I made no further recommendations.” 

Councillor Hilary Cole (Con, Chieveley & Cold Ash), lead member for housing, said: “The council is satisfied with the view of the local government ombudsman which found no fault on its part but recognised that due to a backlog, Mrs B experienced a degree of frustration in waiting for her housing register decision.

“The council acknowledged the frustration caused to Mrs B at that time due to the backlog on the housing register which resulted in a two-week delay in receiving her housing decision.

“We immediately resolved the matter by completing the decision and, in accordance with [the ombudsman’s] financial guidelines, provided a settlement which was accepted, and we are pleased to report that the backlog has now been cleared.”