The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about information included in a report that the Council provided during court proceedings. The law prevents us from investigating complaints about what happened in court.
The complaint
Mrs X complains that information that the Council included in a Section 7 report to the courts led to her being evicted from a refuge.
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.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
I cannot investigate Mrs X’s complaint. A Section 7 court report forms part of court proceedings. We have no jurisdiction to investigate any matters related to its preparation or content.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the law prevents us from investigating complaints about what happened in court.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman