Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council handled Mr X’s concerns about wildlife. The claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement and we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X seeks.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council did not appropriately handle concerns he raised about wildlife. Mr X also complained about the Council’s communication and handling of his complaint.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him upset.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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, or
• we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Mr X complained the Council did not appropriately handle concerns he raised about wildlife in the local area. Mr X also complained about litter in the same area.
7. Mr X said in handling the matters, the Council provided him with incorrect information and did not handle his complaint appropriately.
8. Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation. This means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures.
9. Based on the information available, I do not consider the fault Mr X alleges to have caused him a significant enough personal injustice to warrant our involvement.
10. Additionally, we cannot achieve some of Mr X’s desired outcome, such as for staff involved to have their employment terminated by the Council.
11. Finally, as we cannot investigate the substantive matters of the complaint, we will not investigate the Council’s handling of the complaint or its communication because it is not proportionate to do so.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement and we cannot achieve the outcome he seeks.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman