Mr B complained that Powys County Council failed to escalate his social services complaint to Stage 2 of its Statutory Social Services Complaint Process.
The Ombudsman found that the Council failed to inform Mr B of its reasons for not progressing his complaint to Stage 2. This caused additional frustration and uncertainty for Mr B. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to write to Mr B, within 2 weeks, to apologise and explain its reasons for the delay in progressing his complaint. It also agreed to either appoint an Independent Investigator to investigate under Stage 2 or explain to Mr B why it cannot be progressed at this time within 2 weeks.