The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X complaint about comments made by Council officers in emails. The Council has apologised and allocated an independent officer to review Mr X’s tenancy matters. Further investigation by us would not achieve a different outcome.
The complaint
Mr X complained about remarks made by Officer 1 and Officer 2 in emails in relation to the handed back of properties he rented to the Council. He says the comments caused distress and anxiety and damaged his trust in the Council.
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
What happened Mr X complained about comments made by Officer 1 and Officer 2 in internal emails in relation to the handing back of properties he rented to the Council. He said the comments trivialised his legitimate concerns and were derogatory.
In its complaint response, the Council accepted the language and tone used was “wholly inappropriate, unprofessional and unacceptable”. It recognised the comments had caused distress and had undermined Mr X’s trust in its ability to handle his concerns fairly for which it apologised. It said Mr X’s concerns had been taken seriously and addressed in line with its internal processes but said it could not share the outcome of internal staff matters. It also said it was reviewing how it communicates with customers and assured Mr X that all future communications with him would be conducted respectfully and constructively.
The Council allocated an independent officer to review the hand backs of Mr X’s properties, which is due to be completed by 23 December 2025.
My assessment
It is for the Council, as the employer of Officer 1 and Officer 2, to decide whether disciplinary action is needed. If we investigated, we would consider the Council as a whole and could not recommend it took disciplinary action, nor that it should share information about the action it took in relation to specific officers.
The Council has taken appropriate action to address Mr X’s concerns, including making an apology, which was sufficient to remedy the distress caused, and undertaking a review of its handling of the tenancy matters. It confirmed that all future communications would be professional and a manager would act as the designated point of contact to ensure this. We will not investigate this complaint because 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