Summary: We will not investigate Ms B’s complaint about the way the Council determined her application for a blue badge. This is because the Council has confirmed Ms B has been awarded a blue badge so there is no unremedied injustice warranting an Ombudsman investigation.

The complaint

1. Ms B complained the Council did not consider her hidden disabilities when considering her application for a blue badge, failed to process her application in a timely manner and were mocking and discriminatory towards her.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe:

• it is unlikely we would find fault, or
• the fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• the injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• it is unlikely we could add to any previous investigation by the Council, or
• it is unlikely further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

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

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered the information and documentation Ms B and the Council provided. I sent Ms B a copy of my draft decision for comment.

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What I found

4. Ms B complained to the Ombudsman that the Council had not processed her blue badge application,
5. The Council says it responded to Ms B in November. The Council says Ms B’s blue badge application was processed on 9 December and she was advised the same day it had been successful. The Council says Ms B in now in receipt of her blue badge.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council has confirmed Ms B has been awarded a blue badge so there is no unremedied injustice warranting an Ombudsman investigation.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman