Ombudsman complaint against Swindon councillor closed after dog allegedly almost hit by car
The owner said she wants the council to “acknowledge it acted with fault”
A complaint was lodged against Swindon council after a woman’s dog allegedly escaped a park and almost got hit by a car.
The complaint, made by ‘Miss X’, related to the response she received from the council when complaining about safety issues at a council park.
She said their response caused her “frustration” and she wants the council to “acknowledge it acted with fault”.
The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman made the decision to close the complaint after initial enquiries on Monday, July 20, 2026.
The Ombudsman’s document states that Miss X “regularly” visits the Council’s park, and, during a visit, had found some of the park’s gates facing a road were open, when they are usually closed.
She also said that some of the park boundaries were in “disrepair”, and said she reported the concerns to the wardens of the park.
“Mrs X said a few days later, she was in the park with her dog,” reads the Ombudsman report.
“She was attempting to repair some of the damage and her dog escaped the park and went into the adjacent road. Miss X said a car almost hit her dog.”
Miss X then complained to the council, asking them to put measures in place to prevent access to the adjacent road.
In response to the complaint the council carried out repairs to the park boundaries and locked all gates facing the adjacent road, advised Miss X that access and repair enquiries should be reported to the wardens of the park, and “advised Miss X not to carry out any repairs herself and to keep her dog safe.”
In Miss X’s complaint to the Ombudsman, she said the council had accused her of “lying”, regarding making an initial report to the wardens; the council claimed the wardens had not received the report.
“We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint. This is because it is unlikely we would find fault with the Council,” reads the Ombudsman’s decision.
“Once it was aware of Miss X’s concerns, it took appropriate action by carrying out repairs to the park and locking the gates.
“The Council also advised Miss X not to carry out repairs herself and to keep her dog safe.
“This was appropriate and in the best interest of Miss X’s safety as well as her dog’s.
“Furthermore, the Council’s response did not accuse Miss X of lying about making an initial report to the wardens.
“It said the wardens had not received a report. In any case, any injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation.”