Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council (24 017 927)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council’s decision to limit Mr X’s participation in the co-production board. The Council has since met with and written to Mr X to resolve his ongoing concerns.
The complaint
- Mr X complained about the way the Council excluded him from taking part in the co-production board and its handling of his complaints about this. He believes the process the Council used to exclude him was flawed. He is unhappy the Council has restricted his ability to volunteer in this way. He wants his complaint investigated and those involved barred from taking part in the co-production board or ever working for the Council.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
My assessment
- Since making his complaint to us, the Council has met with Mr X and written to him again about his involvement with its co-production board. Co-production is where the Council involves members of the public in decision-making and service provision, so it best meets the needs of the community, based on their experiences of using services.
- The Council has agreed a way forward with Mr X which allows him to continue to participate in co-production work. The Council has also given Mr X a single point of contact in the Council to assist with responding to any ongoing queries he may have. Mr X has indicated to the Council he is satisfied with its response to his concerns.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has resolved his concerns and there is nothing more we could meaningfully achieve.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman