Kingston Council has come under fire for failing to investigate an alleged assault on a pregnant woman for five months. A watchdog told the council to pay the woman £500 for the distress she was caused by the delay.

The woman, named Miss X in the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report, said the alleged attack had left her scared to stay in her property.

The council confirmed it had apologised to her for the delay in its investigation and for failing to provide a letter on its decision on the suitability of her home and right of review about this.

Miss X first contacted the council's housing team in June 2023, but officers ruled she was not homeless or threatened with homelessness. The council told her to contact its housing team again after she claimed she had been assaulted outside her home in June 2024.

The mum applied to join the council's housing register in August 2024. She said she had severe depression and anxiety, that exposure to mould was making her family sick and the alleged assault outside her home had made her mental health worse. Kingston Council rejected her application.

Miss X made a homeless application in September 2024 when her landlord served her an eviction notice due to rent arrears. The council accepted she was eligible for help and worked with her landlord to prevent her from becoming homeless.

It made enquiries into the alleged assault in December 2024, around five months after Miss X reported it. The authority decided her home was still suitable to occupy after confirming the police had ended its investigations due to lack of evidence.

Miss X's landlord suspended legal action after confirming they had agreed a repayment plan for rent arrears in May 2025.

The ombudsman found the council at fault for failing to investigate Miss X's alleged assault at the appropriate time, but it did not find fault with the authority's decision making on her housing applications.

The watchdog said the council had a duty to enquire into the alleged assault when Miss X reported it in July 2024, to decide whether it was reasonable for her to continue living in the property.

Kingston Council did not do this and repeated this fault by missing the chance to make enquiries in August when she applied to join the housing register, it added, and again in September when she received an eviction notice.

The report said: "It took the council five months to start enquiries into the assault Miss X reported. This is a significant delay causing Miss X avoidable distress at what was already a distressing time.

"The council offered Miss X £250 in recognition of this failing. While Miss X did not suffer financially because of the council's delay, there was prolonged distress. I am also mindful of the fact Miss X was vulnerable, having suffered an assault whilst being pregnant, and suffering mental health problems. I therefore consider a payment of £500 is suitable remedy for the injustice.

"The council told me it advised staff of the need to refer applicants to housing solutions where a threat of violence is mentioned. It also reviewed its staff procedures."

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "We are committed to doing all we can to provide quality housing for residents and ensure people in the borough have a safe and comfortable place to live. We accept the LGO ruling. We have apologised to Ms X and a payment of £500 has been made to her."