Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (24 005 801)
Category : Adult care services > Transport
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 16 Oct 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to issue a Blue Badge. This is because the Council will offer the complainant another assessment.
The complaint
- The complainant, Mr X, complains about the Council’s decision not to award a Blue Badge.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council. This includes information about the application, the Council’s assessment, and the complaint correspondence. I also considered an update from the Council and our Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X applied for a badge. The Council did a face to face mobility assessment and decided not to issue a badge.
- Mr X disagreed with the decision. He appealed and disputed some of the findings from the mobility assessment. He also complained about the conduct of the assessor. The Council did not change the decision but said it would pass on Mr X’s comments about the assessor.
- Mr X has concerns about the way the Council assessed his application. I asked the Council if it would offer another mobility assessment with a different assessor. The Council agreed.
- I will not investigate this complaint because the Council will carry out another mobility assessment. This is a fair way to close the complaint because it will give Mr X another chance to explain his difficulties and it will be another chance for the Council to consider his application. It will be for the Council to decide whether to issue a badge after the second assessment. We have no power to award a badge and cannot decide if Mr x is eligible for a badge.
Final decision
- We will not investigate this complaint because the Council will offer Mr X another face to face assessment with a different assessor.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman