London Borough of Croydon (25 031 421)
Category : Other Categories > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 11 Jun 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mrs X’s requests for her records. This is because there is another body better placed to consider this complaint.
The complaint
- Mrs X says the Council has failed to provide her records as requested through multiple Subject Access Requests (SAR). She says the Council has not been transparent in its decisions around the child protection process.
- Mrs X says she has suffered ongoing distress caused by the lack of access to information.
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 an investigation if we decide there is another body better placed to consider this complaint. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs X says several SARs are outstanding or were not answered properly by the Council. She says the lack of information is preventing her from challenging Council decisions about her case.
- We will not investigate. Mrs X’s complaint is better addressed by the Information Commission. Matters relating to access to personal data and compliance with data protection legislation fall within the jurisdiction of the Information Commission. As the regulator for information rights matters the Commission is the appropriate body to consider whether the Council has complied with its duty to provide Mrs X with her data.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because there is another body better placed to consider her complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman