The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of a member conduct complaint as the matter is ongoing.
The complaint
Mr X complains about the Council's handling of a complaint made about his conduct as a councillor, including about delay. Mr X says this has caused him anxiety and upset.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation at this stage (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Council received two complaints about Mr X’s conduct as a councillor a few months apart in 2024. The Council decided to deal with the two complaints together and has told me that its final report on the matter will be ready soon.
I recognise Mr X is unhappy about how this has been handled but given the assurance from the Council that it is due to reach a conclusion, I do not consider it would be a good use of our limited resources to investigate at this point. Plus, as no conclusion has yet been reached, it is unlikely we could carry out any meaningful investigation at this stage. It is open to Mr X to complain to us again if he remains unhappy after the conclusion of the complaint.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the matter is ongoing.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman