The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a Council officer’s conduct while he was talking to a different officer. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to investigate now.
The complaint
Mr X complains an officer acted disrespectfully towards him while he was speaking to a different officer about his need for assistance.
As an outcome to his complaint, Mr X wants the help he says he was promised by an officer, plus an apology.
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 late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant which includes the Council’s response.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X complains that an officer disrespected him by laughing when he was speaking to another officer in 2024 about needing assistance. Mr X says he is disabled and was promised assistance by the Council.
The Council has responded to Mr X’s complaint by outlining that officer has discussed his complaint with him twice this year, firstly in April 2025 and also in September 2025.
The Council says it established that Mr X’s concerns are related to his support service ending in February 2024. But it also says that Mr X declined the Council’s offer to investigate his complaint formally in April 2025 and that now his complaint is too late for it to investigate now.
The Council has provided details of a support service that Mr X can access for assistance.
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to investigate now. Mr X knew from February 2024 about the issues he is raising now and it would have been reasonable to expect him to complain within 12 months.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to investigate now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman