Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council communicated with the complainant. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained about how the Council communicated with him about his child. He said it did not call him as agreed. He said the Council then delayed in responding to his complaint. He said that was because he could not put his complaint in writing. Mr X wants the Council to review his complaint and apologise for the way he has been treated.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

5. In April 2023, Mr X complained to the Council about three separate interactions he had had with Council Officers since the start of the year. The Council provided a complaint response in May. It found that overall, it had responded to Mr X’s communication. However, it found there was an occasion where it did not telephone him back when agreed, and that it did not share a risk assessment with him despite saying it would.
6. I have reviewed the Council’s complaint response and am satisfied it considered the complaint properly. It has apologised for any shortfalls in service. That apology remedies any injustice caused. Further investigation by us would not lead to a different outcome.
7. We will also not investigate how the Council dealt with Mr X’s complaint. The Council took Mr X’s complaint by telephone. That is in line with his request for reasonable adjustments. Although there may have been some delay in complaint handling, any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. In addition, it is not a good use of public resource to investigate complaint handling where we are not looking at the substantive complaint.

Back to top

Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman