Ms A was dissatisfied with the Council’s response to her complaint and requested an independent investigation.
The Ombudsman found that the Council had provided a response to the concerns raised by Ms A at Stage 1 of its complaint policy. Ms A was dissatisfied with the response. However, the Council had not provided Ms A with the opportunity for an independent investigation in line with Stage 2 of its complaint policy. Further, the Council had not provided Ms A a full explanation about this decision.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to provide Ms A with a full response clarifying the rationale for not conducting an independent investigation. The Council agreed to do this within 2 weeks.