It is a one-person organisation complementary to the municipal administration, headed by the ombudsman and their deputy, which has a multidisciplinary team of advisers and technical officers. It oversees the actions of the municipal administration and public services dependent on it, particularly with regard to the rights and freedoms set out in the European Charter for Safeguarding Human Rights in the City.
The Barcelona Ombudsman’s Office is an organisation that acts independently of the Barcelona City Council and with a local sphere of action.
The legal basis of the institution is set out in the Municipal and Local Government Act of Catalonia of 2003 and in the Municipal Charter of Barcelona. With its incorporation in the Municipal Charter, the Ombudsman’s Office is recognised by law, allowing for full recognition of the right of Barcelona’s citizens to have their cases reviewed by a local, objective, independent institution that will make a decision on their complaint in terms of law and equity.