Overview
The complainant (Mr C) was concerned that he had been unfairly excluded from The City of Edinburgh Council (the Council)'s offices and that his council tax file had been sent out to him without his permission and in inadequate packaging.
Specific complaints and conclusions
The complaints which have been investigated are that the Council:
- (a) unfairly excluded Mr C from their offices (upheld); and
- (b) sent Mr C his council tax file in the post against his express wishes and in inadequate packaging (no finding).
Redress and recommendations
The Ombudsman recommends that the Council:
- (i) adopt a detailed policy for dealing with alleged instances of inappropriate behaviour on the part of customers and ensure that decisions to restrict access to Council offices or otherwise restrict contact with an individual are: properly documented; preceded, where appropriate, by a warning; well justified and communicated clearly to the individual concerned; and subject to internal review and appeal mechanisms; and
- (ii) apologise to Mr C for the unfair way in which he was excluded from their offices and for failing to provide him with an adequate and detailed explanation regarding the grounds of his exclusion.
The Council have accepted the recommendations and will act on them accordingly.