The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s actions in connection with a visit to the complainant’s home. This is because the complaint is late and there are no grounds to consider it now.
The complaint
The complainant, who I will refer to as Mr B, complains about the actions of the Council in connection with a visit to his home in 2020.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
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
Mr B says Council officers and the police visited the home he shared with his former partner in 2020. He was unhappy with the actions of the police during the visit. While he was not party to the reason for the visit, be believes the fact that he witnessed it caused him an injustice.
The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because it is late. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about a matter. This restriction applies to what happened in 2020. Given that Mr B was not party to the Council’s actions, and his chief interaction appears to have been with the police, there are no grounds for us to consider the complaint now. We have no power to consider the actions of the police.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because it is late and there are no grounds to consider it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman