Nottingham City Council (19 010 605)
Category : Other Categories > Leisure and culture
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 Nov 2019
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about changes to a leisure facility where the complainant attends exercise classes. He is unlikely to find fault in how the Council decided to make the changes.
The complaint
- The complainant, who I refer to here as Miss C, has complained about changes to a room where she attends an exercise class, particularly the removal of mirrors.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’.
- We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if, for example, we believe:
- it is unlikely we would find fault;
- the fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained; or
- the injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
- We cannot question whether a council’s decision is right or wrong simply because the complainant disagrees with it. We must consider whether there was fault in the way the decision was reached that is likely to have affected the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I have considered what Miss B said in her complaint.
What I found
- Miss B complained to the Council about changes made at a leisure facility it manages. She was particularly concerned about the removal of mirrors from a room where she attends exercise classes.
- I consider the Council has given Miss B a full explanation of why it made the changes.
Final decision
- I have decided we will not investigate this complaint. This is because, while I understand Miss B disagree with the Council, we are unlikely to find fault in how the it decided to make the changes.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman