Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to support the complainant when he arrived in the UK. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. The complaint is late and there is no reason why the complainant could not have contacted us much sooner.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall call Mr X, says the government led him to believe that he would be met by the Council and would gain employment to help Chinese people. He says he was told he cannot work as he has been out of the country for more than two years. The Council refuses to help with his complaint.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council’s responded to Mr X in 2022. The response clearly refers to Mr X’s right to contact the Ombudsman. The law says a complaint must be made to us within 12 months of the complainant becoming aware of the cause of the complaint. He did not contact us until 2024. His complaint is therefore late and there is no reason why we should investigate it now.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman