A homeless person has been paid £1,200 compensation for the stress, anxiety and uncertainty they suffered after a council ignored them

Gravesham council made the payment and also revised the way it handles homeless cases in a bid to be fairer.

Brief details were revealed in a report to councillors.

The case was brought after a homeless person's plight was ignored by officers, despite the council being told in writing.

The council has since apologised, and reviewed its operational processes.

It followed an investigation by the local government ombudsman.

It was the biggest payout the council made during the year and was described as a "reasonably large payout" by the ombudsman's office.

Four complaints against Gravesham were upheld by the Ombudsman during the year.

The council agreed to act before the ombudsman made a hard ruling in each of the cases.

Another 28 complaints against Gravesham were examined by the ombudsman during the past year.

A council spokesman said: "The council deals with tens of thousands of queries and requests each year.

"Every effort is made to avoid mistakes so this case is very rare and was one which had not gone through the council's own complaints procedure.

"The council has apologised and paid compensation. The review of procedures is designed to avoid any repetition."