Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with a complaint he made in 2022. This is because his complaint is made late and I see no good reason why he could not have complained sooner.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains that the Council did not deal with a complaint he made in 2022.

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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. 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/care provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. I will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is made late. If Mr X was unhappy with how the Council dealt with his complaint, he could have asked the Ombudsman to intervene at the time. I see no good reason why we should consider the matter now.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is made late.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman