Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s decision to move to an online complaint handling system. A further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile.

The complaint

1. Miss X said the Council used to accept new complaints via email. She complains it now only accepts new complaints via an online form.
2. Miss X complains the word limit and text boxes in the form are too small for her complaint. She said the Council is therefore preventing her from making a new complaint. Miss X said the Council should accept new complaints via email.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because a further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile.
7. The Council has explained why it now accepts new complaints via the online form only.
8. The Council also advised Miss X the online form allows complainants to upload up to four additional documents as evidence if the space in the text boxes is not enough.
9. Miss X said she must fill in a new online form each time she wants to add new evidence to an existing complaint. However, the Council has explained customers can still submit further evidence to an existing complaint via email.
10. The Council also said it is not going to change the design of the online form. However, it advised Miss X on other ways she can contact the Council if she does not want to use the online form.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because a further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything worthwhile.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman