City of Wolverhampton Council (24 005 315)
Category : Adult care services > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 Aug 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council lying to him about not having to pay charges for the damage he caused to a hotel room the Council placed him in. This is because an investigation would not lead to any worthwhile outcomes.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council lied to him about not having to pay charges for the damage he caused to a hotel room the Council placed him in.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start an investigation if we decide there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council arranged for Mr X to stay in a hotel. Mr X said he caused damage to the hotel room when he had to barricade himself in. He said he did this to escape an assault.
- Mr X said his social worker told him they had sorted the issue and no charges would be payable for the damage caused. However, he received a court summons in May 2024. This was in relation to the charges for the damage caused to the hotel room.
- I have reviewed the Council’s case records for the relevant period. There is no evidence the case worker told Mr X he would not have to pay for any damages caused to the hotel room.
- There is conflicting evidence regarding what Mr X was told regarding any charges for the damage he caused. Due to the conflicting evidence, an investigation is not proportionate as it would not lead to any worthwhile outcomes. This is because we would not be able to reach a finding, even on the balance of probabilities, what Mr X was told.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation would not lead to any worthwhile outcomes.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman