A man with chronic medical conditions was left distressed after delays by Croydon Council rehousing him.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled that the council was at fault in a report just published.

A single man in his fifties, known as Mr X, was placed in a one bedroom flat by Croydon Council in January last year.

But he soon found that noise from a passenger lift next to his bedroom and the road outside made his mental health conditions worse.

In August, after the council decided not to move him, Mr X enlisted a solicitor to email the housing register and housing allocations team.

Although the email was acknowledged, the solicitor did not receive a reply.

When the solicitor had still not heard back in October 2017, she made a stage one complaint to the council, to which she received no response.

The case was referred to the Ombudsman in February this year.

A report from the Ombudsman said: “The council accepts officers were confused. They believed they had addressed all the issues in an October 2016 reply to the solicitor’s previous complaint.

“They did not reply to her August 2017 email and later correspondence. The council also says the solicitor did not refer to Mr X’s new address in her correspondence so they did not realise her enquiry and complaint related to his housing needs at the new address.

“The solicitor says it should have been evident she was raising new matters on behalf of her client.

“Officers should have contacted her if they were in any doubt about this.”

As a result of the report, the council has now said it will fast-track a medical assessment of Mr X

A Croydon Council spokesman said: “The council fully accepts the Ombudsman’s ruling and apologises for any inconvenience caused.

“Croydon Council officers have been reminded of the council’s customer care standards.”