General News
12 August, 2024
Council reported to Ombudsman
The Victorian Ombudsman fielded 17 complaints about Horsham Rural City Council last year, according to the most recent annual statistics.
Eight were not raised with council for one of several reasons, including: the Ombudsman may have decided the action or decision of council was not wrong; an error may have occcurred and been dealt with appropriately by council; the complainant could more appropriately pursue the matter through a court or tribunal.
Six complaints were considered to be "premature" because the person had not yet contacted council to give them an opportunity to resolve the matter.
In three cases, the Ombudsman made inquiries directly to council to assess and resolve the issue.
"The Ombudsman can and does receive complaints about local government including Horsham Rural City Council," a spokesperson told The Horsham Times.
"While we cannot disclose information about individual complaints, in our last Annual Report we recorded 17 complaints about Horsham Rural City Council.
"In most cases we encourage people to complain to their council first as this can be the best way to resolve matters quickly.
"All councils should have a complaint handling policy and we provide training and good practice guides to help agencies handle complaints effectively."
No figures were recorded for Hindmarsh, West Wimmera or Yarriambiack shire councils as their cases numbered fewer than 10.
Victoria’s 79 local councils are the second most complained about bodies, behind the prison service.
For the latest report, visit: https://assets.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/assets/FINAL_10.10.23_VO-ANNUAL-REPORT-2023.pdf
Ombudsman Marlo Baragwanath will publish the next annual report in October.