Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council has dealt with Ms X’s complaint. This is because the issue does not warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains the Council has not dealt with her code of conduct complaints about Council members appropriately.
2. Ms X is seeking decisions in relation to her complaints.

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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 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

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

4. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are not dealing with the substantive issue.

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How I considered this complaint

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

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because the issue raised does not warrant an investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman