Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s complaint handling regarding her homeless application. It would not be a good use of public money to investigate the Council’s complaint handling.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains about the Council’s complaint handling – she says it has not responded to any of her complaints since 2019.

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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 effect 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 an investigation if we decide the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. I will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. This is because it is not a good use of public money to look at the Council’s complaint handling in isolation when we have previously considered the substantive matter of Mrs X’s complaint under a separate case in 2021.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it would not be a good use of public money to investigate the Council’s complaint handling.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman