The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council failed to provide him with a copy of an apology letter. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
Mr X complained the Council did not provide him with a copy of an apology letter as part of its complaint response to him. He said the Council’s failure to meet his needs had caused him emotional distress. He would like the Council to recognise his request and provide him with a copy of the apology letter, and to be provided with a guarantee he will not face a similar problem again.
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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X complained to the Council in May 2025 about how it had not met his communication needs.
In its complaint response in July 2025, the Council partially upheld Mr X’s complaint and apologised that some of his interactions with the Council had not been in line with his communications statement. The Council also apologised for the delay in sharing Mr X’s communication statement within the Council. The Council referenced a separate apology letter to Mr X from a staff member regarding Mr X’s communication preferences.
Mr X complained he did not receive this separate apology letter in July 2025.
In response to our enquiries, the Council confirmed that it had sent the separate apology letter to Mr X in December 2025 and apologised to Mr X for the delay.
We will not investigate this complaint. The Council has now provided a copy of the separate apology letter to Mr X, and it apologised for the delay. This apology is an appropriate remedy for Mr X’s uncertainty about the delay. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman