Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about right to buy council house sales because it is late without good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

The complaint

1. Mr y complained the Council wrongly rejected his application to buy his council house under a Right to Buy scheme in 2019. He is also unhappy with how the Council responded to his complaint, which he says was closed incorrectly.
2. Mr Y says he was unable to purchase his home and is now unable to obtain the same level of reduction in the price as he would have previously.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
5. 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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How I considered this complaint

6. I considered information Mr Y and the Council provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. Mr Y applied to the Council in 2019 to purchase his council house under the Right to Buy scheme. Mr Y says the Council refused his application because of council tax arrears. Mr Y complained to the Council in 2025 about the Council’s refusal of his application, saying that any council tax arrears, which he denied having, could not be used to lawfully reject his application. Mr Y approached us about his complaint in November 2025 after it was rejected by the Council.
8. The law says people should normally complain to us within 12 months of becoming aware of an issue. Complaints brought to the Ombudsman more than 12 months after someone becomes aware of something a council has done are considered late. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons.
9. Mr Y’s was reasonably aware of his reason to complain about the Council’s actions when his application was refused in 2019, more than 12 months ago. As Mr Y did not approach us about the issue until 2025, six years after the rejection, his complaint is now late.
10. We have discretion to disapply the rule outlined in paragraph four where we decide there are good reasons. Mr Y has not provided any good reasons why he did not bring his complaint to us within 12 months of knowing about the matter. It is reasonable to expect him to have complained sooner. We will not investigate.
11. As we are not investigating the substantive issue, it is not a good use of public funds to investigate how the Council dealt with or responded to Mr Y’s complaint. We will not investigate.

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Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr Y ’s complaint because it is late without good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman