Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (25 027 722)
Category : Other Categories > Councillor conduct and standards
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 30 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate the Council’s decision that Mr X’s complaint about several councillors did not fall under the scope of the Code of Conduct. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council was wrong to decide his complaint about several councillors did not fall within the scope of the Code of Conduct.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints of injustice caused by ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. I have used the word fault to refer to these. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
- 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))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained that several councillors failed to respond to emails he sent them.
- The Council’s Monitoring Officer assessed the complaint and said it did not fall under the Code of Conduct. Instead, the Officer said it was a performance issue which the councillors’ political parties could take up if they wished.
- We will not investigate this complaint. The Council considered the individual circumstances of Mr X’s complaint and its Code of Conduct, concluded his complaints did not fall under the scope Code and explained why. There was no evidence of fault in how the Council made its decision. therefore, we cannot question the decision itself.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman