Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to fund travel costs to a day centre he chooses to attend outside of its area. Any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mr B complains about the travel costs he has had to pay to attend an autism service which is outside of the Council’s area. Mr B says the Council refused to back pay funding for transport. He says this has resulted in financial loss and he wants the Council to repay the amount he has spent on travel plus interest.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’, which we call ‘fault’. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint, which we call ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We do not start or continue an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the Council’s decision not to fund an autism he chooses to attend which is outside of the Council’s area. A Council officer told Mr B in August 2024 that travel costs to day centres incurred a flat fee of £5.00 for each journey. It confirmed this was for day centres inside its area. The information is displayed on the Council’s website. Any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.
6. When the Council investigated Mr B’s complaint it told him it could support him if he wanted to explore an alternative service within its area. We cannot add to the investigation already completed by the Council. Further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman