Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about her housing application because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council has wrongly refused to award her a priority band.

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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 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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. Miss X complains the Council refused her application to be re-banded after she submitted information about her circumstances. Miss X submitted an appeal, and the Council upheld its decision.
6. I will not investigate this matter. The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision.
7. Based on the evidence I have seen, the Council has acted in line with its allocation policy and considered the relevant evidence to make its decision. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation by the Ombudsman.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman