Ombudsman found errors by Enfield Council resulted in man having to sleep on the street for three weeks, reports Simon Allin, Local Demoracy Reporter

Enfield Council has agreed to pay more than £6,500 to a man who slept rough for three weeks after it failed to provide him with suitable housing.

The Local Government Ombudsman ordered the council to pay the compensation to the man, who was also given just £1.64 a day towards meals during an eight-month stay in a hotel provided by the council as temporary accommodation.

According to the ombudsman’s report, in 2018 the council housed the man – referred to only as Mr J – in another borough because of concerns over his safety.

Two years later, in September 2020, the council reviewed the property and found it was unsuitable for Mr J because of the distance to local amenities and the risk of him becoming a victim of violence, although he refused alternative properties offered to him in December and January. In July 2021, after the flat flooded, he was offered a different flat in the same building, which he turned down because of leaks and disrepair.

In August 2021, the council placed Mr J in a hotel in a different borough and subsequently offered him properties in London – even though his solicitor, mental health workers, and victim support said he could not live in the capital because of the danger he faced. In March this year, the council agreed to move him to another city where he had a support network.

During his eight-month stay in the hotel, the council offered Mr J just £432 – or £1.64 a day – towards his meals, despite the fact that he had to eat takeaways, cold ready-made meals, or pay significantly more to eat in the dining room because he had no cooking facilities.

The council accepted it had also failed to arrange a hotel stay for a period of three weeks, during which Mr J slept rough. It apologised to him for “poor administration and data management”, which it said could have contributed to the mistake.

The council offered Mr J £432 for the eleven-month period he spent in unsuitable accommodation, but the ombudsman ordered the authority to pay an extra £1,122 because of the distress he suffered. After the local authority offered him just £74 compensation for the three weeks he slept rough, the ombudsman told the council to pay him an extra £188.50 because of the stress, hardship and inconvenience he endured.

In addition, the ombudsman ordered the council to pay an extra £5,285.62 for the time he spent in the hotel, bringing the total compensation package to £6,596.12.

The ombudsman also told the council to review the case to identify why Mr J was left in unsuitable accommodation for so long and what administration and data errors were made which led to him sleeping rough for three weeks. The council agreed to carry out all of the ombudsman’s recommendations.

A council spokesperson said: “Enfield Council works hard to make homelessness something that is rare, brief and non-recurring for residents.

“There is unprecedented demand and pressures on services at this time. We have taken steps to improve the way in which cases are supported as a result of this case.”

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