Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council proposes to deal with her complaint about a senior council official. This is because we cannot achieve the outcome she seeks.

The complaint

1. Ms X complains about how the Council is dealing with her complaint about a senior council official. Ms X says the Council is not following its employment policy and wants her complaint to be investigated independently.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. I will not investigate Ms X’s complaint. We do not investigate complaints about individual officers, and the actions taken by the Council are in relation to its employment policy. We have no power to intervene in personnel matters or direct the Council to take different action. For this reason, we cannot achieve the outcome Ms X seeks.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because we cannot achieve the outcome she seeks.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman