Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to update him on its service improvement plan in 2022. This is because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council had failed to update him as agreed in 2022 about action it had taken to improve its adult social care services.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X was involved with the Council in 2022 to contribute to its service improvement plan. He says in July 2022, the Council told him it would provide an update on what action it was taking to improve its services, but it had failed to do so. He also says the Council failed to respond to his complaint about this in September 2022.
7. We will not investigate this complaint as it is late. If Mr X was dissatisfied with the Council’s response to his complaint, he could have complained to us earlier. There is no good reason for us to investigate now.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason for us to investigate it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman