Kirklees Council ‘at fault’ for handling domestic abuse case

Kirklees Council has been told to apologize to a domestic abuse victim for failing to rehouse her quickly enough.

According to a report by the Local People’s Advocate (LGO), the council refused a homelessness claim from the woman despite evidence that she was in danger from her ex-partner, delaying her move by more than a month.

The LGO said the delay caused the woman “avoidable distress and uncertainty”.

The council said it “acknowledged” the report’s findings and implemented its recommendations.

The report said the woman, referred to as Miss X, first reported being a victim of domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-partner in May 2023 and said she needed to “move out urgently”.

But the council did not increase its priority over Band B on the housing waiting list until the end of June, despite evidence it was at risk, the report said.

The watchdog found the council “to blame” for the delay and said it should apologize to the woman for the “distress and uncertainty” she had suffered.

He also said he should offer her a “symbolic” payment of £300.

The report said the council later admitted it should have accepted the woman’s homelessness claim.

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “We acknowledge the Ombudsman’s findings and have agreed to implement and complete the actions outlined, within the timeframe set out.

“We have also taken the learning from this case to make service improvements in relation to accepting homelessness applications in the future.

“The council takes reports of domestic abuse seriously. Where this results in a person being unable to stay at home, they should contact the Housing Solutions Service for further support.”