Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council changing the final total amount in an offer to remedy a complaint. It is unlikely we would find fault and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.

The complaint

1. Mr X says the Council should not have changed a proposed remedy to his complaint.

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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:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating; or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
  (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 Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. In March 2025 the Council offered to pay Mr X £900 plus £150 at the end of a complaints process. It said this totalled £1350. In June 2025 it told Mr X there had clearly been an admin error and should have said £1050. He complained to us and said it should honour its £1350 offer.
6. In August 2025 Mr X accepted the £1050.
7. If we were to investigate Mr X’s complaint, we are unlikely to find fault. The Council’s offer in March 2025 clearly contained an accounting error. And as Mr X has now accepted the £1050 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable from this complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is unlikely we would find fault and there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman