Stoke-on-Trent City Council (26 010 237)
Category : Other Categories > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 08 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint that the Council has wasted public money because the alleged fault affects all or most residents.
The complaint
- Mr B complains the Council wasted public money by hosting a civic event for a football club.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- We cannot investigate something that affects all or most of the people in a council’s area. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr B.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
Final decision
- We cannot investigate a complaint that a council has wasted public money. This is because the alleged fault affects all council tax payers in a council’s area. This is most residents. We cannot investigate complaints which affect all or most people in a council’s area. So, we cannot investigate this complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman