London Borough of Hillingdon (21 016 727)
Category : Environment and regulation > Antisocial behaviour
Decision : Upheld
Decision date : 22 Mar 2022
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled anti-social behaviour. We are satisfied with the actions it has taken.
The complaint
- Mrs X says that she complained to the Council about anti-social behaviour (ASB) caused by other residents in her street. Mrs X says the Council did not act on her concerns or assign an officer to investigate.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs X says in 2021, she reported several ASB concerns to the Council. Mrs X says the Council did not always send her a reply and when she complained to it about this, the Council said it would assign an officer to investigate further. Mrs X says this did not happen.
- The Council gave us information about how it had investigated Mrs X’s reports of ASB. It assigned an officer who contacted Mrs X, and I am satisfied with the action the Council took in response to Mrs X’s reports and her complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled anti-social behaviour. We are satisfied with the actions it has taken.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman