Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council considered a complaint. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. We do not consider the complainant has suffered a significant personal injustice which warrants an investigation.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has mishandled a complaint he submitted. He told the Council “The complaint itself is no longer important but your and XXXX handling of it raises serious questions. When residents turn to Lambeth Complaints to help them, they do so in the expectation that their complaint will be dealt with impartially and professionally. Not the case here, I’m afraid, and why I will be asking the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to take a view.”

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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 Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

5. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has confirmed his complaint is solely about the way his complaint was handled and that the original complaint is irrelevant. I do not consider he has suffered a sufficient personal injustice which warrants our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman