Bristol City Council placed dad and children in unsuitable B&B for 27 weeks

Bristol City Council has been ordered to pay £3,700 compensation for placing a dad and his two children in unsuitable B&B temporary accommodation for 27 weeks. The Local Government Ombudsman has upheld a complaint against the authority, which has apologised.

In its ruling, the watchdog said: “The law says this type of accommodation is never suitable for young people aged 16 or 17 and families with children. The Suitability of Accommodation Order 2003 says it can only be used for a maximum of six weeks for families when no other accommodation is available.

“But, the council placed the family in the unsuitable accommodation from late January 2024 until mid-July 2024.” The council says pressures from the housing crisis sometimes make it necessary to place people in hotels and B&Bs.

The report said the authority had initially offered the man, Mr X, £800 but the ombudsman ruled that this figure was way too low and should increase to £3,700 to remedy the injustice. It said the family was homeless at the time and the council had accepted the main housing duty.

“In July, following a review request from Mr X, the council decided the accommodation was unsuitable,” the report said. “It said this was because it was bed and breakfast accommodation, which was not self-contained as it had shared cooking facilities.”

The report said the man also complained about disrepair and pest issues at the B&B. It said: “The council signposted Mr X to raise any issues with his housing provider.

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“It followed up on outstanding issues with the housing provider, including asking it to address several health and safety issues urgently. The council investigated Mr X’s complaint and took appropriate action to escalate urgent matters.

“Based on the evidence I have seen, there is not enough evidence of fault by the council to justify investigating this.” Although the ombudsman upheld the man’s complaint about being placed in unsuitable temporary accommodation for over half a year, it did not carry out a formal investigation because the council had accepted blame.

Bristol City Council homes and housing delivery committee chairman Cllr Barry Parsons (Green, Easton) said: “We fully accept the ombudsman’s position in this case and have taken the agreed actions to remedy the situation. We apologise for the distress caused in this situation and will use our experience of this case to inform future decision-making in this area.

“Bristol remains in the grip of a housing crisis and the demand for temporary accommodation, homeless advice and practical assistance is a reflection of the high homelessness demand nationally. This administration and the homes and housing delivery committee have agreed a robust package of measures designed to prevent homelessness and the need for emergency accommodation at any time.

“The pressures we face mean that the council does sometimes have to rely on hotel and B&B provision, though at all times it is important that the impacts of such settings on a household, even for a short time, are factored into our decision making. All households placed in such accommodation are of the highest priority to move into emergency accommodation.

“Tackling the housing crisis is a major challenge and will require a number of different solutions. The biggest positive impact will come from reducing demand, but this can only be achieved with a sizeable increase in affordable housing, particularly social housing, and appropriate reform of the private rental market to maximise stability and affordability.

“We are making progress by building Bristol’s first social homes at scale for over a generation and working with local organisations to present recommendations for private rent reform.”