LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about the Council’s involvement with her grandchildren. The law prevents us from investigating anything that has or is the subject of court proceedings. It is reasonable for Miss X to return to court if she believes court ordered contact arrangements are not being followed.

Mr X complains that during refurbishment of his House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) the Council approved him a provisional licence for a six-bed ensuite property. The Council later admitted it had made an error with its measurements which meant the property was suitable for only a five-and-a-half bed HMO. Mr X says this mistake caused significant stress and financial loss. He wants a formal apology and reimbursement for the financial losses resulting from the Council’s error.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about an alleged data breach by the Council. This is because it is about a data matter best considered and decided by the Information Commissioner’s Office.

Summary: Mr F complained the Council delayed reviewing his adult son’s education, health and care plan and failed to secure his special educational needs provision. We found delay which caused Mr F’s son uncertainty but on balance of probabilities did not cause loss of special educational needs provision. The Council has agreed to apologise.

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council dealt with the financial assessment of his family member, Mrs Y. Mr X said this caused him and his family distress. We did not find fault with the Council’s actions.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about Ms X’s council tax liability for two properties she owns. This is because the complaint falls outside our powers to investigate as Ms X exercised her appeal rights to the Valuation Tribunal.

Summary: The Council was not at fault for its refusal to consider

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council tried to recover council tax arrears. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to end adult social care involvement. There is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about highways management because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating and any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his request for information. This is because it is about an ongoing matter being dealt with by the Information Commissioner's Office. There is no fault by the Council in refusing to correspond about the matter.

Summary: X complained about the Council’s failure to take ownership of land used as a car park under the terms of a legal agreement. X also complained that the evidence they had provided to the Council about anti-social behaviour had not been presented to members of a committee tasked with considering this issue. We found fault in the way the Council has acted but found no evidence to show the fault caused an injustice to X or to others. We made a recommendation which might reduce the likelihood of the fault happening again, which the Council has agreed to carry out.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Care Provider’s failure to seek medical intervention. There is an independent investigation ongoing which is likely to provide the outcome Mrs X seeks and it is not proportionate for us to also consider the matter at this time.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision to approve a planning application for a new road behind the complainant’s home. There is not enough evidence of fault in the way the Council considered the application to justify an investigation. And further investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome. Also, the complainant can make a claim on the Council’s insurance and if necessary refer the matter to the court to decide whether the Council has been negligent and should pay compensation.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his planning and ‘Sustainable Warmth’ scheme applications. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this late complaint about the content of an agreement of expectations because there is not a good reason for the delay in bringing the matter to the Ombudsman. We will not investigate the breakdown of that agreement because it would be reasonable for Mrs X to pursue the matter in court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a safeguarding referral involving Ms X and the Council’s subsequent actions. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on which complaints we investigate. There is not enough evidence of fault and other agencies are better placed to consider the complaint. More importantly, we cannot achieve the outcomes Ms X wants, and an investigation would be unlikely to lead to a different result.

this complaint about the Council’s failure to issue parking penalties against owners of vehicles which Mr X says are frequently obstructing his access. There is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council did not respond to the complainant’s questions about the pandemic and vaccines. This is because there is insufficient evidence of injustice and we can exercise discretion in whether to investigate a complaint.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of matters relating to his grandson because it lies outside our jurisdiction. This is because the matter is closely linked to ongoing court proceedings. The law prevents us from considering complaints about matters that are being, or have been, considered in court. We have no discretion to do so.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council has delayed dealing with a complaint about safeguarding. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault due to the exceptional circumstances involved.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about internal school matters, contact restrictions placed on her parent and alleged contact made by social workers following a family bereavement. We cannot investigate school matters, Miss X has not made specific complaints relating to restrictions placed on her and we are unlikely to find fault regarding communication around the time of the bereavement.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his council tax accounts. He was unhappy about an attachment of earnings order, liability for council tax bills, fairness over joint liability and lack of empathy by a Council officer. The Council was not at fault with the way the Council handled Mr X’s council tax accounts or communicated with him about these matters.

Summary: We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint about a children social worker’s actions. We cannot investigate opinions and evidence given to a Court, and Social Work England is better placed to consider her complaint about professionalism.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to concerns raised by Mr X about parking restrictions and dropped kerbs. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council or injustice caused to Mr X to warrant an investigation.