Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s staff members. A further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains the staff members at a park run by the Council mistreated her. She said one of the staff members also yelled at her.
2. Ms X said the staff members are targeting her because she reported some antisocial behaviour at the park. She would like the Council to take her complaint seriously and reassure her about the treatment she is receiving from the staff members.

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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))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Ms X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. Ms X said staff members at the Council’s park mistreated her.
7. However, the Council investigated her concerns and found that it is Ms X’s behaviour that was likely to be unacceptable. It said this is based on what several staff members have said.
8. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because an investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile. Where it is one party’s word against the other, we cannot make a finding on what happened and this means we are unlikely to carry out an effective investigation.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because a further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman