St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (23 019 241)
Category : Adult care services > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 08 Mar 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the actions of a private company. This is because the Council is not responsible for the actions complained about.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about the actions of staff working for a counselling service and the way it dealt with his complaint.
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 where the body complained about is not responsible for the issue being raised. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(1), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council has informed Mr X that it has no connection with the private organisation that he is complaining about. We cannot investigate as we have no remit to investigate private organisations.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the Council is not responsible for the actions complained about.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman