The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint that the Council delayed finding a school for her son in 2016. This is because Ms X’s complaint is late, and I see no good reason to exercise discretion and consider it now.
The complaint
Ms X complains that the Council delayed finding a school for her son in 2016.
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 late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
I will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is about issues that happened some nine years ago, and it is therefore late. I see no good reason why Ms X could not have complained to the Ombudsman sooner.
Final decision
We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is late, and I see no good reason to exercise discretion and consider it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman