Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about delay by the Council investigating his complaint. This is because the alleged fault has not caused Mr B a significant injustice.

The complaint

1. Mr B complains the Council has not investigated his formal complaint about the Council’s handling of his compensation claim after his car was damaged by a pothole.

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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 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 not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr B.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. It is not normally a good use of our limited resources to investigate complaints which are solely about complaints procedures.
6. Mr B made his complaint to the Council relatively recently, in early June 2026. Any delay by the Council is not so excessive that it has caused Mr B a serious injustice which would justify public money being spent on an investigation by the Ombudsman.
7. So, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because the alleged fault has not caused Mr B a significant injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman