Council says sorry after housing veto

TOWN hall chiefs agreed to pay £500 and apologise to a couple with learning difficulties who were refused housing in South Tyneside.

The pair, named only as Ms B and Mr C, have been in a relationship for four years and applied jointly for a home last year (2017).

But after this was rejected due to Mr C’s criminal conviction and subsequent prison sentence, prompting an appeal to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

According to a report by the government watchdog, Ms B appealed the decision, claiming Mr C’s conviction had been ‘done out of self-defence’ and pleaded for a him to be given a second chance.

She also argued that as it had happened five years earlier it was outside the two-year window in which housing bosses are allowed to use it as a reason to reject an application.

After investigating, Ms B was backed by the Ombudsman, which was also contacted by South Tyneside Council, which admitted it had ‘misinterpreted’ information provided by police.

As well as the apology and the cash payout, the council also offered the couple a property, promised to redecorate it and that it would review similar cases.

A South Tyneside Council spokeswoman said: “The council has accepted the findings of the Ombudsman and have since implemented and updated processes to prevent incidents such as this case happening again.”