Essex County Council (24 004 571)

Category : Other Categories > Other

Decision : Closed after initial enquiries

Decision date : 14 Aug 2024

The Ombudsman's final decision:

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a school fence. This is because the Council has no duty to pay for structures which the school owns and we do not have the power to investigate this type of complaint about what happens in schools.

The complaint

  1. Mrs X complains no action has been taken after a local school agreed a broken fence on its land should be mended but only if the council paid for it.
  2. Mrs X says she complained to the Council but it would not look at the matter further and said it was an issue for the school to address.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

  1. We cannot investigate most complaints about what happens in schools. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5, paragraph 5(2), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

  1. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
  2. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

  1. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. The Council has no duty to pay for structures which the school owns and we do not have the power to investigate this type of complaint about what happens in schools.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

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