A mother-of-four recovering from cancer was “cooped up” with her children in a single room during the coronavirus pandemic due to council failings, an Ombudsman has found. The woman, referred to as Miss X, was housed in a studio flat as temporary accommodation in 2014 after presenting to Croydon council as homeless, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGO) said.
In early 2021, she complained to the council that the home was too small now that she had four children, including a baby, and said the situation was affecting her mental health. She said the lack of private space was causing the family “severe stress and anxiety”, particularly during the coronavirus lockdowns, and her eldest child had no quiet space for online lessons or schoolwork.
Despite acknowledging she was living in overcrowded accommodation, Croydon council failed to properly review the suitability of the flat or offer any additional support, the Ombudsman investigation found. It also failed to consider whether the overcrowding in Miss X’s property was an environmental health risk, the report said.
