The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about information shared during court proceedings. The law prevents us from investigating complaints about what happened in court.
The complaint
Miss X complains about information shared during court proceedings that negatively influenced the outcome and breached data protection.
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 a complaint about the start of court action or what happened in court. (Local Government Act 1974, Schedule 5/5A, paragraph 1/3, 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
I cannot investigate Miss X’s complaint. The law prevents us from investigating complaints about what happened in court. This includes what information a council discloses during proceedings.
Final decision
We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because the law prevents us from investigating complaints about what happened in court.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman