BARNSLEY Council has been ordered to apologise and pay compensation after an ombudsman found it had caused ‘distress and uncertainty’ to a local resident who asked for homelessness help after being targeted due to his sexuality.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman told the council to pay the resident - known only as Mr X - a total of £150 in compensation.
Mr X had asked the council for assistance after he was attacked at his home, spat at, verbally abused and had eggs thrown at his property due to his sexuality.
He was already on the council’s waiting list to move to a new property but he had pleaded with the council to speed up the process after he was attacked.
The council was waiting for a response from South Yorkshire Police but did not hear back.
This resulted in staff speaking with victim support who confirmed that Mr X was ‘at risk’ in his property.
The ombudsman found that the council closed the man’s case after ‘it did not have information from the police on file to show Mr X’s property was unsafe for him’.
The council said it ‘did not have reason to believe Mr X was homeless’ when he asked for help, therefore did not take a homeless application.
Bosses said it based this decision on the fact it considered the incidents of hate crime were random and took place away from his home.
However, the notes from Mr X’s initial telephone call said his home had been targeted.
The report states: “When Mr X approached the council as homeless, the council said it did not have reason to believe he was homeless.
“The council said it based this decision on the fact it considered the incidents of hate crime were random and took place away from his home.
“However the notes from Mr X’s initial telephone call said his home had been targeted.
“The council also said it did not have evidence from the police that it was unsafe for Mr X to remain at his property.
“The council asked the police for this in late January 2023 but did not appear to receive a response so closed his file.”
Coun Wendy Cain, cabinet spokesperson for public health and communities, said: “We accept the ombudsman’s final decision and take full responsibility for the matter.
“Our apologies go to Mr X for the distress he experienced. He has been rehoused and received compensation.
“We take all Local Government Ombudsman enquiries very seriously and are dedicated to working with our residents to improve how we support our communities.”
