A Norwich man with disabilities endured nights on a concrete floor after the council mishandled his homelessness application, ombudsman finds.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s (LGSCO) investigation found Norwich City Council did not consider the man for interim accommodation when he approached them as homeless.
In July 2024, the man had applied as homeless after receiving a formal eviction notice. Over the following months, he sent letters from his GP and hospital showing serious health problems and upcoming surgery, along with proof of his disability benefits.
Despite this, the council did not assess his entitlement to support until just days before bailiffs arrived.
When the man was evicted at the beginning of December 2024, he suffered an anxiety attack and sough emergency medical attention.
With no alternative accommodation arranged, he slept on the concrete floor of a garage the council had provided for storing his belongings. He remained there for four nights, and on the fifth day of homelessness he was admitted to hospital.
The Ombudsman concluded that if the council had acted appropriately, the man would likely have been offered interim accommodation as early as October 2024, avoiding both the severe distress and legal costs of bailiff proceedings.
Julie Odams, chief executive at the LGSCO, said: ‘Despite repeatedly chasing the council for help, this Disabled man was left to sleep on a cold concrete floor with his mental health deteriorating all while the council failed to properly consider the significant evidence in front of it. No Disabled person should ever be left to face that situation.’
‘Norwich City Council has accepted what has gone wrong in this case and I welcome its acceptance of our recommendations to put things right,’ Odams continued. ‘The steps it has agreed to take, including retraining staff and giving them clearer guidance about their responsibilities to people facing homelessness, should help ensure this does not happen to anyone else.
‘Councils have a legal duty to act promptly when someone may be homeless and in priority need, and I would urge all councils to review their own practices in light of this case.’
The council has agreed to apologise and pay the man £1,250, along with his court and bailiff costs. Staff will also receive retraining to ensure nothing this harrowing ever happens again.
Image: Openverse
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