Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s poor communication. This is because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. X complains that the Council has failed to respond to an email sent in January 2026 in which X asked the Council to provide them with a mobile phone number to contact their social worker’s manager, and to provide reasons for the delay in providing X with information. X complains about how the Council dealt with their complaint about this.

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

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. It is not a proportionate use of our resources to investigate X’s complaints about the Council’s poor communication. Any injustice is not significant enough to justify an investigation.
6. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate X’s complaint because any injustice is not significant enough to warrant our further involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman