Summary: We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council lied about her in court, because it lies outside our jurisdiction. The law prevents us from investigating matters that have been considered in court.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall call Miss X, complains the Council lied about her, discriminated against her and slandered her in family court proceedings.

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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 a complaint about the start of court action or what happened in court. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5/5A, paragraph 1/3, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered the information Miss X provided. I sent Miss X a draft of my decision and invited her comments on it.

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What I found

5. Miss X complains the Council lied, slandered and discriminated against her in family court proceedings.

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Final decision

6. We cannot investigate this complaint because it lies outside our jurisdiction. The law prevents us from investigating complaints about matters that have been considered in court proceedings. We have no discretion to do so.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman