A ‘disjointed’ approach to complaints and a ‘lack of ownership’ were found in a special investigation to be behind Islington Council's 'persisting' housing problems.
The housing ombudsman probe, which took place between December 2022 and June 2023, resulted in orders for the council to pay a total of £66,441.
In almost half the cases it investigated, the ombudsman found severe maladministration, pushing Islington’s severe maladministration rate up to 24.7% – four times the national average.
Cases included a disabled resident left unable to use their ground floor wet room due to a lack of repairs, a resident stuck without a working key fob for ten months, and a complaint getting stuck in Islington’s system for three years.
The ombudsman made 186 orders or recommendations across the areas of repair works, response to anti-social behaviour, complaint handling, and ‘underlying cross-cutting issues’, including a ‘clear lack of ownership’.
Housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway said: ‘The focus of the leadership on embedding change is evident and encouraging.
‘Nonetheless, many of the underlying themes we have identified are present in multiple individual cases, each contributing to the resident’s poor experience.’
Islington Council said: ‘We’ve been working to put things right and believe this report further clarifies the actions and resources needed, building on the external critical appraisal we’ve sought from partners over the last two years.’
