Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s disclosure of his personal details on its website. This is because the complaint concerns a data breach and is a matter best placed for the Information Commissioner’s office to consider.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council shared his personal details without his knowledge or consent on its website in 2021.

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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. The Information Commissioner's Office considers complaints about freedom of information. Its decision notices may be appealed to the First Tier Tribunal (Information Rights). So where we receive complaints about freedom of information, we normally consider it reasonable to expect the person to refer the matter to the Information Commissioner.
4. 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)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

7. Mr X complained to the Council in 2025 about a data breach involving his personal data which took place in 2021.
8. The Council apologised and told Mr X it removed the information from its website. The Council also advised it would monitor the situation and report back to Mr X with any updates.
9. Mr X remains unhappy with the situation and wants us to find the Council at fault. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) was set up to consider complaints about data breaches. The Ombudsman will not usually investigate complaints where another body is better placed to deal with the matter.
10. In addition, the breach Mr X is complaining about took place in 2021. The Ombudsman will not usually exercise discretion to investigate events that occurred more than 12 months ago unless there are good reasons to do so. There is no good reason to exercise discretion to investigate.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the complaint concerns a data breach and is a matter best placed for the Information Commissioner’s Officer to deal with.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman