Summary: We will not investigate how the Council dealt with a complaint about the complainant’s conduct as a councillor as any injustice caused to them is not sufficient to justify our further involvement.

The complaint

1. Councillor A complains the Council showed bias when it investigated a complaint about an online post of theirs. Councillor A says this has caused them distress.

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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 the alleged fault has not caused significant injustice to the person who complained (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.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Council considered the complaint about the conduct of councillor A. It did not carry out a full investigation but decided it was appropriate to offer words of advice to the councillor with a recommendation to remove the post.
6. I recognise councillor A remains unhappy about the outcome, but I do not consider the Council’s actions, even if taken with fault, caused councillor A a level of injustice significant enough to justify our further involvement, in the public interest. We will not therefore investigate.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate councillor A’s complaint because it is unlikely we will find fault causing a significant injustice to them.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman