The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council gave money to a ‘terrorist’ organisation.
Th at is because the issues raised by Mr X affect all the residents of the Council’s area and so the complaint falls outside our jurisdiction.
The complaint
Mr X complains the Council gave council tax money to a ‘terrorist’ organisation. He said this made him unhappy. He wants checks and balances put in place to prevent the Council from being infiltrated by radical ideologies in future.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
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 the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The restriction highlighted at paragraph 2 applies to Mr X’s complaint. This is because how the Council spends its budget affects “all or most” of the people in the Council’s area. Therefore, the complaint falls outside our jurisdiction and cannot be investigated.
The funding of terrorist organisations is a criminal offence. If Mr X believes this is the case, he can raise the matter with the Police. The Ombudsman cannot look at criminal matters.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it affects all or most of the people in his Council area.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman