The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s customer service and complaint handling. That is because the Council has agreed to complete a stage two complaint response to Mr X’s concerns.
The complaint
Mr X complained about how the Council investigated his concerns of poor customer service. He said the Council did not respond to his initial complaint in time, and when it did respond, it did not address his concerns properly. He said the Council then failed to consider his complaint at stage two of its complaint process despite him asking it to. Mr X said the Council’s actions have caused him distress and affected his mental health. He wants the Council to fully investigate his complaint and provide the information that he initially contacted it for.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), 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
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has confirmed it is considering Mr X’s complaint at stage two of its complaint process. I am satisfied the Council’s proposed action is the most appropriate way to deal with Mr X’s concerns. Mr X can return to the Ombudsman if he is unhappy with the Council’s final response.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council has agreed to consider his complaint at stage two of its complaint procedure.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman