Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about information the Council presented during court proceedings. The law prevents us from investigating matters which have been subject to court proceedings.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council included false information in a report it presented in court. Miss X says she had no opportunity to challenge the information.
2. Miss X says the matter caused her significant distress.

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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.
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 which have been subject to court proceedings. This includes the preparation and contents of reports presented in court by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman