Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council did not provide him with a care leaver’s grant and accommodation between 2016 and 2018. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council did not give him a care leaver’s grant and accommodation between 2016 and 2018 when he was released from prison. Mr X says the social worker only informed him of the grant four years ago, when he was 25 years old.

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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 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

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. In response to our initial contact, the Council said it has not received a complaint from Mr X about this matter. It said it would not consider it via its complaints procedure now due to the passage of time but that it could arrange to contact Mr X to discuss the matter.
7. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. It lies outside our jurisdiction because it is late. The law says a complaint should be made to us within 12 months of the person affected first becoming aware of the matter. Mr X has been aware of this matter for several years and I see no good grounds to exercise discretion to consider this very late complaint now.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it lies outside our jurisdiction and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to consider it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman