Summary: We will not investigate X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with a licencing review. This is because the issues raised have not caused X a significant enough injustice.

The complaint

1. X complains that the Council recorded a wrong address when it carried out a licencing review, that it ignored his warning about this and that it subsequently amended the document without following the correct process. X says the Council did not properly deal with their complaint about this matter.

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

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My assessment

5. I will not investigate X’s complaint. Whilst I note that X says the Council’s failure to consider their warning made them feel disenfranchised with the consultation process, I do not consider that this alone is a significant enough injustice to warrant our further involvement.
6. I will not investigate how the Council dealt with X’s complaint. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate X’s complaint because the issues raised have not caused them a significant enough injustice to warrant investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman