Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council did not remove him from an abusive environment in the 1970s and 1980s. This is because the complaint is late, and the events are historic so we could not complete a sufficient investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X is complaining that the Council did not safeguard him and did not remove him from an abusive family environment in the 1970s and 1980s.
2. Mr X requests an investigation into the decision-making and seeks compensation.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. 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

5. I considered information provided by the Council.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Mr X complains about events that happened in the 1970s and 1980s. Due to the period that has passed, we could not expect to gather all the evidence and establish what happened with reasonable confidence. We would not be able to reach a clear enough view now.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late, and we could not reasonably reach a meaningful decision on such historic events.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman