Summary: Mrs C says the Council unreasonably refused school transport for one of her children and failed to tell her what she needed to provide for her appeal. I have not investigated the complaint as I do not consider it likely Mrs C has suffered any injustice because of any fault in the appeal process.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall refer to as Mrs C, complained the Council:
• unreasonably refused school transport for one of her children; and
• failed to provide her with any guidance on what she needed to provide in support of her appeal.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We can decide whether to start or discontinue an investigation into a complaint within our jurisdiction. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 24A(6) and 34B(8), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. As part of the investigation, I have considered the complaint and spoken to Mrs C. I have also obtained some information from the Council.
4. Mrs C and the Council had an opportunity to comment on my draft decision. I considered any comments received before making a final decision.

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What I found

5. I have decided not to investigate the complaint because, having discussed the complaint with Mrs C, she was clear her daughter can use public transport to get to school, the family can afford to pay for public transport and on occasion the family can take her to school by car. Given there is no difficulty in Mrs C’s daughter getting to her current school I consider it unlikely, on the balance of probability, a further appeal panel would award school transport should that have been my recommendation after investigation of the complaint. I will therefore not pursue the complaint further.

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Final decision

6. I have discontinued my investigation and do not uphold the complaint.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman