A West London council has been ordered to pay over £6,000 in compensation after leaving a disabled pregnant mother and her child in a bed and breakfast for 14 months, far exceeding the legal limit of six weeks. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found Ealing Council at fault for placing the family in unsuitable accommodation and for delays in handling the mother's housing application.
Council breached legal limits on B&B stays
Under UK law, bed and breakfast accommodation is deemed unsuitable for families with children and can only be used for a maximum of six weeks as emergency housing. The Ombudsman's report revealed that the mother, referred to as Miss Y, and her baby were placed in a B&B from 15 March 2024 until 12 November 2025, a total of 14 months. The accommodation had stairs, which severely restricted Miss Y's mobility as she uses a wheelchair and has complex medical needs.
Miss Y originally approached Ealing Council as homeless in February 2024. She spent eight weeks and four days in the B&B before being moved to council-managed temporary accommodation with shared facilities. The Ombudsman ruled that this shared accommodation was also unsuitable for her needs, as medical professionals had informed the council about the negative impact on her health. The council did not provide self-contained accommodation until November 2025.
Failures in housing assessment and complaint handling
The Ombudsman found that Ealing Council delayed assessing Miss Y's housing register application and priority banding. This delay prevented her from bidding on suitable properties. The report stated: "The council's continued failure to provide Miss Y with suitable accommodation while she was homeless was a fault."
Additionally, the council failed to act promptly upon receiving medical information from Miss Y's midwife. In January 2025, the council made a decision on her housing register priority but did not properly consider all of her medical information and failed to inform her of her right to request a review. The Ombudsman described this as an "unreasonable delay." The council also mishandled Miss Y's complaints, with delays that the council itself acknowledged were outside its standard timescales.
Compensation and apology from Ealing Council
Ealing Council has agreed to apologise and pay £6,000 for the impact of the unsuitable accommodation, plus an additional £150 for the distress caused by failures related to her medical priority assessment and review rights. A council spokesperson said: “We accept the findings in the report and sincerely apologise to the resident for the failings identified in this case and the impact this had on them. We have agreed to the Ombudsman’s recommended actions, including a formal apology and financial compensation to acknowledge the distress and inconvenience caused.”
The council also outlined steps to prevent recurrence, including reviewing homelessness procedures to ensure B&B use is limited and actively seeking suitable alternatives, strengthening housing allocation processes to properly consider medical information, and ensuring residents are informed of their right to request a review. The spokesperson added: “We are committed to learning from this case and improving our services for residents who are in housing need.”
