Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about London Councils’ decision to put a hold on Miss X’s Taxicard. This is because the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

The complaint

1. Miss X complained about London Council’s decision to suspend her taxi card. She said she was accused of not paying a taxi fee and London Councils sided with the taxi company.
2. She said she relies on taxis for transport for medical appointments and the costs are beyond her means. She wants London Councils to remove the hold on her Taxicard.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
5. 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 there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
6. We consider whether there was fault in the way an organisation made its decision. If there was no fault in how the organisation made its decision, we cannot question the outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 34(3), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

7. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Authority.
8. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

9. We will not investigate this complaint. Miss X became aware that London Councils had put her Taxicard on hold in 2023. We expect a person to complain to us within 12 months of being aware of a matter and Miss X did not complain to us until 2025. The complaint is late, and there is no good reason to exercise discretion to consider it now.
10. However, even if the complaint was not late, we would be unlikely to investigate. We are not an appeal body and only consider if there is fault in the way the Council made its decision.
11. London Councils said the driver immediately reported that Miss X had not paid the taxi fare. It said it tried to contact Miss X on two occasions before following its non-payment process and put a hold on her Taxicard. It said Mrs X could pay the outstanding amount due and it would remove the hold.
12. Miss X may disagree, but there is not enough evidence of fault in how the authority made its decision to warrant our involvement.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman