Council pay-out for pregnant woman's 'unsafe' home

A council in west London has agreed to compensate a woman £1,950 after it placed her and her children in "unsuitable" accommodation, while the woman was pregnant.

The woman, referred to as Miss D in a report on the case, approached Hillingdon Council in July 2024 for homelessness assistance.

The family were moved into emergency accommodation, and then into temporary accommodation for seven months, which the woman described as having "exposed wiring, poor hygiene and unsafe furniture".

A spokesperson for the council said it had apologised to the family and was reviewing its "internal processes to ensure we best serve residents and meet their needs".

In September, the council formally admitted that the temporary accommodation was unsuitable and confirmed to Miss D that she should have been prioritised since May, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Throughout the next few weeks, Miss D independently found a private rental property.

The council then asked Miss D for details to pay the deposit for her new home, however by early October, the deposit had still not been paid as the council officer "had forgotten to process the payment."

Hillingdon agreed to pay Miss D £1,750 for the time spent living in unsuitable accommodation and £200 for the trouble caused by the handling of the case.

The spokesperson added: "We accept the decision of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and have met all the agreed actions in its report."

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