Oxford City Council (25 025 992)
Category : Other Categories > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 05 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council imposed contact restrictions on him. We have not seen enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council imposed contact restrictions on him. He said the decision has no merits.
- Mr X said the restrictions are disruptive to his business. He also said the Council imposed the restrictions as retaliation because he made a complaint against senior staff.
- Mr X would like the Council to lift the restrictions, apologise and offer him a symbolic payment.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we have not seen enough evidence of fault to justify a further investigation because the Council has followed its Vexatious Behaviour Policy.
- The Council explained why it decided to impose the restrictions and how long they would last for. It explained the process for reviewing the decision and how it would handle his communications during the restriction period.
- The Council advised Mr X of his rights to complain to us if he disagreed with its decision.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we have not seen enough evidence of fault with the Council’s decision to justify an investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman