The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the conduct of a Council officer. We could not add to the findings the Council has already made and are satisfied with the actions the Council has taken.
The complaint
Mrs X complained about the conduct of a Council officer during a blue badge in-person assessment.
Mrs X said the Council officer’s conduct caused her distress and left her concerned that her blue badge application could be adversely influenced.
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 Mrs X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X attended an in-person assessment as part of her blue badge application to the Council.
Mrs X complained to the Council on the same day about the conduct of the Council officer who oversaw the assessment.
Mrs X’s blue badge application was successful prior to the Council responding to her complaint.
In its complaint response, the Council acknowledged that some wording used by the Council officer was inappropriate, and that a manager had discussed this with the officer concerned. The Council also offered Mrs X an apology for her experience.
We will not investigate this complaint. The Council has already appropriately responded to Mrs X’s complaint. We could not add to the findings the Council has already made.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because we could not add to the findings that the Council has already made and are satisfied with the actions the Council has taken.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman