A pregnant woman and her baby were left living in unsuitable accommodation for more than a year after a series of failures by Ealing Council, a watchdog has found.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ruled Labour-run Ealing Council failed to provide suitable accommodation to the woman, known as Miss Y, from March 2024 until November 2025 despite being aware of medical evidence about her condition and the impact her housing situation was having on her health.
Miss Y approached the council for help in February 2024 after being told she had to leave her hostel accommodation. At the time, she was pregnant and had provided evidence from medical professionals about her health needs and high-risk pregnancy.
The Ombudsman found she was initially placed in bed and breakfast accommodation with shared facilities and remained there for more than two weeks longer than the legal six-week limit for pregnant women and families with children.
She was later moved to council-managed temporary accommodation where she had her own room and bathroom but had to use a shared kitchen in a separate building.
Medical professionals warned the council that shared facilities were unsuitable because of Miss Y’s medical condition and pregnancy. In March 2025, doctors said a deterioration in her health and a hospital admission had been triggered by repeated exposure to cold weather while walking outside to access the kitchen.
Despite accepting the accommodation was unsuitable, the council did not move Miss Y into self-contained temporary accommodation until November 2025.
At one stage, Miss Y and her baby left the accommodation altogether and were forced to stay with family and friends because of the impact it was having on her health.
The Ombudsman also found fault with the council’s handling of Miss Y’s housing register application, ruling it failed to properly consider medical information when reviewing her priority band and did not tell her about her right to challenge the decision.
To remedy the injustice caused, Ealing Council has agreed to apologise and pay Miss Y £6,150 in compensation.
The watchdog has also ordered the authority to review its homelessness procedures, including how it houses pregnant women and families with children, and improve the way it assesses medical priority for housing applicants.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, Councillor Mark Sanders, Ealing Liberal Democrats spokesperson for honesty and accountability, said: “It is alarming that Ealing Council has ignored concerns raised by professionals in this case of a vulnerable pregnant women. Then compounding the error by not handling the complaint in a timely manner or giving a reason for the delay.”
An Ealing Council spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “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.
“We are taking steps to ensure this does not happen again. This includes reviewing our homelessness procedures to ensure that bed and breakfast accommodation is only used where absolutely necessary and for no longer than permitted and that we actively seek suitable alternative accommodation for households as quickly as possible.
“In addition, we are strengthening our housing allocation processes to make sure medical information is properly considered, decisions are clearly recorded and residents are informed of their right to request a review.
“We are committed to learning from this case and improving our services for residents who are in housing need.”
