The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the content of a report the Council prepared for court. This is because the law prevents us from investigating a complaint about what happened in court.
The complaint
Mr X complained about the content of a report the Council prepared for court. Mr X said that this has caused him distress.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
We cannot investigate a complaint about the start of court action or what happened in court. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5/5A, paragraph 1/3, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
Final decision
We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint because the law prevents us from investigating a report that is part of the conduct of court proceedings.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman