Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about information the Council gave to court. The law prevents us from investigating matters related to court proceedings.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about the contents of a report the Council submitted to court. Miss X said the report included inaccurate information.
2. Miss X said this matter caused a negative impact to her mental health.

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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 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

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

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Final decision

7. We cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint because the law prevents us from investigating matters related to court proceedings. This includes the preparation and contents of reports the Council presented during proceedings. 

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman