Worcestershire County Council (26 002 029)
Category : Education > Alternative provision
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 22 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that the Council refused her request for compensation because it is too late.
The complaint
- Ms X wants compensation from the Council for her daughter’s lack of education between 2020 and 2023. She says she incurred costs for food, transport and clothing. She also wants the Council to pay compensation for the difficult times she experienced during her daughter’s absence from school, including her physical injuries.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26B, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Ms X complained to the Council in June 2023 when her daughter was out of school. The Council upheld her complaint. Her daughter returned to school in January 2024.
- Ms X contacted the Council again in February 2026. She said she had been told she should ask the Council for compensation. The Council refused. Unhappy with the outcome, Ms X complained to us.
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to accept it now.
- If Ms X had complained to us on time, our primary concern would have been her daughter’s education. We do not award compensation or recommend payments for the expenses Ms X lists.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is too late now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman