Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to reissue a cheque for her naturalisation. The complaint is late with no good reason to investigate it now.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains about the Council’s refusal to reissue a cheque to cover the cost of her naturalisation. She says the Council previously issued her a cheque for this as it did not arrange her naturalisation when she was a Looked After Child in its care. She says the cheque has now expired but the Council has refused to reissue it.
2. She says the Council’s refusal has prevented her from applying for her naturalisation due to the cost. She says this has affected her ability to work and travel. She wants the Council to reissue her the cheque.

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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 Miss X and the Council.
6. I also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. The evidence I have seen shows:
• Miss X was previously a Looked After Child in the Council’s care.
• In 2012, the Council agreed to issue a cheque for Miss X’s naturalisation, as it did not arrange this when she was a Looked After Child in its care.
• In 2015, she complained to the Council. As part of that complaint, she asked the Council to reissue the naturalisation cheque which had expired at that time. This same year, she also complained to us about the Council’s handling of this complaint and its refusal to consider the complaint at stage two.
• In 2016, the Council completed its stage two complaint investigation and decided it would not issue the naturalisation cheque. It told Miss X if she was unhappy with the outcome she could escalate the complaint to stage three. The Council has no record of receiving a stage three complaint from Miss X.
• In 2025, Miss X complained to the Council again asking it to reissue the naturalisation fee. The Council told Miss X that it could not consider her complaint due to the significant time that has passed.

Assessment

8. Miss X knew the Council would not reissue the naturalisation cheque in 2016 after it completed its stage two complaint investigation. This makes her complaint to us late.
9. If Miss X was unhappy with the complaint outcome in 2016, then it would have been reasonable for her to complain to us at that time. Miss X says the delay was due to hardship and mental health issues, which she says affected her ability to complete the tests needed for her naturalisation. However, Miss X knew how to complain to us, and had done so previously. I therefore see no good reason why she could not have complained to us sooner and I will not investigate her complaint.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason to investigate it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman