Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint that the Council wrongly shared personal information about her in court. That is because we cannot investigate what happened in court.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained the Council wrongly shared information about her as part of court proceedings. She said that caused her anxiety and depression.

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

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My assessment

6. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about information the Council included in an assessment it completed about her which was shared in court. That is because we cannot investigate what happened in court. Therefore, it is outside of our jurisdiction.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is outside of our jurisdiction.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman