Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council (25 002 541)
Category : Environment and regulation > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 23 Sep 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council investigated reports of dog fouling at his property. This is because further investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council investigated reports of dog fouling at his home and issued a Community Protection Notice Warning without speaking to him first. He says the Council failed to take account of his medical condition and this had a significant impact on his mental health.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B)).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complains that following an anonymous report the Council investigated dog fouling at his home and issued a Community Protection Notice Warning. He says the matter would have been easily resolved if the Council had spoken with him sooner. He says it was distressing as he is vulnerable due to his health condition.
- The Council agreed with Mr X that it should have spoken to him earlier and this could have resolved the issue quicker. It withdrew the Warning. It said it had made a note of his vulnerabilities and would try to accommodate his request for reasonable adjustments wherever possible. It said early contact with everyone would help to identify vulnerabilities and took action to provide training to its staff.
- I will not investigate this complaint because the Council has apologised to Mr X and has taken action to improve its services. It is unlikely that an investigation would lead to a different outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would be unlikely to result in a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman