London council apologises to man after failing to recognise domestic abuse

Mr X had been living with his sibling and their spouse, but made a homelessness application to the council after fights with the spouse.

The report said the council “wrongly considered” that Mr X was not personally connected to the alleged perpetrator of the domestic abuse as they were not a “blood” relative. 

But the legal definition of a ‘relative’ includes a sibling’s spouse so the two were connected, the report said. 

The ombudsman said there was no reason for the council to believe he was in priority need when he first presented as homeless, as in an initial assessment the man said he was not at risk of domestic violence. 

However the report added: “The failure to recognise Mr X was personally connected to the alleged perpetrator was [a] fault and will have caused some distress to him which the council should remedy,” the report said.

The council also took 11 weeks to tell the man it had accepted that it had a duty to help prevent his homelessness with a personalised housing plan (PHP).

As well as an apology, the council gave the man a symbolic payment of £300 to “recognise the distress and uncertainty caused”.

Amerdeep Somal, the local government and social care ombudsman, said: “The council’s delays in confirming what duty it owed the man, coupled with not recognising the alleged abuse he suffered, can only have caused him uncertainty and distress at a time of crisis.

“During our investigation the council told us it has a significant backlog of cases requiring a personalised housing plan. This is not good enough.” 

In a statement, a Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “We take the support of victims of domestic abuse very seriously and apologise fully for falling short of the standards our residents should expect in this case. 

“We accept the ombudsman’s findings and are implementing the recommendations made.”

The council said it is also training more frontline staff to spot the signs of domestic abuse. 

The statement added: “As with much of London, Kensington and Chelsea has seen a surge in the number of people approaching us as homeless, with an average of 131 enquiries received each month. 

“We have introduced new methods to manage this increased load, including recruiting experienced staff, commissioning training and prioritising outstanding personalised housing plans with a view to reducing the backlog.” 

Ms Somal said she welcomed the council’s action to make improvements and tackle the backlog over PHPs. 

But she added: “I have asked the council to report on this backlog to a relevant committee every quarter to ensure this is not left to drift.”