Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council has treated the complainant. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I refer to as Mr X, says the Council has treated him badly and shown hatred and disdain for his heritage and faith.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if we believe it is unlikely we would find fault. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I read the complaint and got some information from the Council. I invited Mr X to comment on a draft of this decision.

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What I found

What happened

4. Mr X complained to the Council of racism, discrimination and hate crimes. He alleged an officer was anti-Semitic, a holocaust denier and showed vile contempt for Mr X’s faith and mixed heritage.
5. In response the Council said there was no evidence to support Mr X’s allegations. The Council said Mr X should report incidents of racism, hate crime and discrimination to the police.

Assessment

6. I will not investigate this complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council. The Council responded by considering Mr X’s allegations and by signposting him to the police. This was an appropriate response.

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Final decision

7. I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman