The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s contact with the complainant about vermin and waste accumulation on his property. The Council has apologised for any confusion about the wording of its letters. We consider this is an appropriate remedy for any confusion felt by the complainant. We do not consider that further investigation would achieve a worthwhile outcome.
The complaint
Mr X complains the Council threatened him with prosecution based on fake evidence. He says it told him it had received a report confirming there was a rat infestation at his property.
Mr X says the allegation was made up to continue long standing harassment against him engineered by residents. He wants financial compensation and action taken to prevent future harassment.
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 or continue an investigation if we decide there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X, including the Council’s responses to him.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Council has confirmed it received a report of a rat infestation from a pest control company commissioned by a third party. It has clarified that ‘report’ refers to the company contacting the Council to report a pest control issue. It does not refer to a physical written report on the matter. It has apologised to Mr X for any confusion this has caused.
I have reviewed the copies of the Council’s letters to Mr X which he provided. I have seen no threats of prosecution.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because we consider the Council’s apology for any confusion caused by the wording of its letter is an appropriate remedy to Mr X’s concerns. We do not consider that further investigation would achieve a worthwhile outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman