Council Officer made 'Inappropriate Comments' to a member of the public but faced no disciplinary action...

Hartlepool Borough Council accused of covering up for one of its own once again, with more questions over the Ombudsman's worrying leaning towards extremist organisations.

10th March 2025

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has upheld a local residents complaint against Hartlepool Borough Council—but stopped short of delivering anything that resembles any real accountability against what many now describe as Teesside most dangerous Extremist Group....

In a decision that reeks of double standards and bureaucratic indifference, the Ombudsman’s recent findings on Hartlepool Borough Council’s handling of a resident’s complaint lay bare a culture of deflection, protectionism, and weak oversight. Critics are calling it yet another example of a corrupt local authority saying one thing and doing quite another, whilst others claim its evidence enough that the government needs to investigate the Local Government Ombudsman over its impartiality....

The complainant, referred to in the Ombudsman’s report as Miss X, was subjected to inappropriate behaviour by a Council Officer during a telephone call. Whilst the report deliberately glosses over the specifics, even the Council couldn’t deny that the officer “spoke inappropriately” to the resident—a rare admission from a group that often hides behind walls of spin and silence.

But instead of supporting Miss X, the Council doubled down. She was reportedly hit with a formal warning for supposedly raising her voice and speaking critically during the same call, with the result being a lukewarm written apology from the Council and a sanctimonious defence of the decision to reprimand her.

When Miss X turned to the Ombudsman, she hoped for justice. However what she got was a rubber-stamped whitewash. The Ombudsman refused to investigate the Council’s warning letter, citing “not enough evidence of fault.” Apparently, Hartlepool Borough Council had followed “appropriate internal guidance.” Yet no detail was provided about what guidance was followed, what rules Miss X broke, or why a raised voice warrants formal sanction whilst inappropriate behaviour from a paid council officer does not.

Clearly 'flawed' Complainants process

There's claims the ombudsman is actively covering up Hartlepool Borough Councils misconduct

Even more troubling, is that the Ombudsman refused to examine the Council’s own flawed complaints process—dismissing Miss X’s concerns as “not a good use of public resources.” This line of reasoning has ignited concerns that the Ombudsman is, once again, acting less like an independent watchdog and more like a shield for incompetent extremist local authorities.

Miss X asked for compensation alongside an apology—a reasonable request considering the emotional distress she endured. Unsurprisingly however this too was dismissed. The Ombudsman waved it away under the tired excuse of protecting “public funds”—a convenient shield when the goal seems to be avoiding justice rather than delivering it, with critics saying once again that its highlighting that both HBC & the LGO are delivering upon Zero accountability, No investigation into the Council’s response & No real remedy for those experiencing injustice, with the complaints system propped up alongside a clearly bias ombudsman services leading to concerns local councils are being shielded from accountability & local residents left betrayed by the very system that’s supposed to protect them...

This case shines a spotlight on the toxic culture inside Hartlepool Borough Council—a culture where whistle-blowers and complainants are punished, whilst those in power are shielded from the consequences. The Council’s own complaints process seems purpose-built to discourage and discredit residents. And the Ombudsman, supposedly local residents final recourse, increasingly looking like its part of the problem, with a source working for Hartlepool Borough Council telling HBC exposed this week that if the complainants experience tells us anything, it’s that trust in Hartlepool Borough Council is not just broken—it’s being actively dismantled.