The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We have upheld Mr Z’s complaint about the Council’s delay responding to his complaint. This is because the Council has agreed to provide a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused.
The complaint
Mr Z complains the Council has not responded to his complaint which he submitted in 2024. He wants the Council to investigate and respond to the matter.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council, and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr Z first contacted us in April 2025. He said he had raised a complaint about a Council officer in October 2024, but the Council had not responded to his complaint. In response to our enquiries, the Council said it would respond to Mr Z’s complaint as soon as possible. Mr Z contacted us again in August 2025 because the Council had still not responded to his complaint.
If we investigated, it is likely we would find the Council at fault because Mr Z submitted his complaint over a year ago and the Council had not yet provided a response.
Agreed action
We invited the Council to consider remedying the injustice caused by its actions and the Council agreed to our request.
The Council will: within one month of our final decision, investigate and respond to Mr Z’s complaint. It should also apologise to him for the delay.
within three months of our final decision, review its processes for handling complaints like Mr Z’s, to ensure it responds within appropriate timescales.
Final decision
We have upheld Mr Z’s complaint. The Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman