Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the grammar the Council used on a poster. This is because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I refer to as Mrs X, complains about poor grammar used by the Council on a poster. She wants the Council to rewrite the poster and use correct grammar.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if we believe the injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I read the complaint and considered the poster and the Council’s responses. I considered comments Mrs X made in reply to a draft of this decision.

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What I found

What happened

4. Mrs X read a poster which said, “Fed up of queuing….”. Mrs X complained to the Council about poor grammar and said the poster should have said, “Fed up with queuing”. She said the sign perpetuated the use of poor grammar.
5. In response the Council said it tries to use a design that attracts attention and it uses language that is simple and easy to understand. It said it strives to continuously improve its promotional material. It noted Mrs X’s strength of feeling about the issue.
6. Mrs X is dissatisfied with the reply. She says using correct grammar should be part of the Council’s approach to continuously improving promotional material. She is concerned that people may see the poster and think it shows correct English. Mrs X is also unhappy that she had to chase the Council for replies to her complaint. Mrs X says the Council, as an official organisation, has a duty to act as a role model. She wants the Council to replace the poster with one using correct grammar.

Assessment

7. I appreciate Mrs X has strong views about this issue but the impact on her is not serious enough to warrant an investigation by the Ombudsman. Mrs X could, as an alternative, consider raising her concerns with her local councillors.
8. Mrs X also complains about the Council’s complaint handling and says she had to chase it for a response. I understand this would have been frustrating but, again, the injustice is not significant enough to require an investigation.

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Final decision

9. I will not start an investigation because there is insufficient evidence of injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman