Disabled people seeking social housing facing avoidable injustices, Ombudsman says

In a report titled ''Access Denied'', the watchdog said disabled people are being "pushed further to the margins" as councils struggle to meet the rising demand for housing support.

The report is centred around three fictional stories that are based on real complaints from disabled people handled by the Ombudsman.

The three stories cover the following aspects of councils' housing duties:

• Helping people who are at risk of becoming – or have become – homeless
• Managing applications for and allocating council housing
• Helping to adapt properties for disabled people

According to the Ombudsman, the narratives are designed to highlight where things can go wrong for disabled people who are seeking help from their local councils in regard to housing.

In a foreword to the report, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Amerdeep Somal said: "Disabled people have always experienced additional barriers to finding a safe, secure and suitable place to call home. However, our casework shows those barriers are sometimes more difficult to overcome than they should be."

She said that in some of the complaints investigated by the watchdog, disabled people have suffered additional injustice "simply because of their disability".

Somal added that some injustices are avoidable and that good practice for councils is "practical and achievable".

"Often this comes down to councils upholding good administrative practice – in other words, getting the basics right," she said.

Adam Carey