Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to properly investigate a complaint Mr X made about staff conduct. This is because he experienced insufficient injustice to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council failed to properly investigate his complaint about an employee’s conduct during a phone call.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 or continue an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

Back to top

My assessment

5. Mr X complained to the Council about a phone call where an employee was unprofessional and failed to give him the information he needed about council tax banding.
6. The Council said it did not have a recording of the call but it reviewed the case notes and spoke to the employee involved. The Council did not uphold his complaint but apologised and provided information regarding its council tax billing practices.
7. Mr X remains unhappy with the Council’s investigation and failure to provide clear information regarding provisional council tax banding. The Ombudsman will not investigate complaints where the injustice sustained is minimal. In this case, the Council has apologised and explained its council tax banding process to Mr X. This is what we would instruct the Council to do if it had not already done so. Whilst this matter has likely caused Mr X frustration, any residual injustice experienced is not sufficient to warrant an investigation.

Back to top

Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he experienced insufficient injustice to warrant an investigation.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman