The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council wasted public money for political reasons. This is because the complaint concerns a matter which falls outside our jurisdiction.
The complaint
The complainant, Mr X, complains the Council wasted public money for political reasons.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
We cannot investigate something that affects all or most of the people in a council’s area. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Council’s actions do not cause Mr X significant personal injustice. He is affected only through the use of public funds and no more than any other member of the public. In this respect the issue affects ‘all or most’ of the people in the area and it is therefore excluded from investigation as set out at Paragraph 3.
If Mr X remains concerned about the matter he may wish to contact the district auditor.
Final decision
We cannot investigate this complaint. This is because it affects all or most of the people in the Council’s area.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman