The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Authority’s decision on how it responded to fire safety concerns Mrs X raised with it. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. There is no significant injustice.
The complaint
Mrs X asked the authority to take action to ensure the owner of a nearby property had complied with fire safety regulations. Mrs X was unhappy with the Authority’s response.
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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mrs X and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because there is no significant injustice.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman