Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his correspondence and his complaint. This is because the issue does not cause Mr X significant injustice.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mr X, complains the Council failed to respond to his emails about a planning application in his local area. He also complains the Council failed to properly deal with his complaint.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse effect 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 the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

5. We do not investigate all the complaints we receive. In deciding whether to investigate we need to consider various tests. These include the alleged injustice to the person complaining. We only investigate the most serious complaints.
6. I appreciate Mr X is frustrated about the lack of response from the Council to his emails and about the way it handled his complaint, but these issues did not cause him significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.
7. The Council has now refused the planning application and although Mr X may not have received answers to his questions this is not something which warrants further investigation or a remedy.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council’s actions did not cause Mr X significant injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman