Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about problems with home to school transport. An investigation would not add anything to the Council’s response or achieve a different outcome.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall refer to as Mr X, complained the Council had failed to provide a suitable car seat for his son to use on home to school transport. Mr X said this placed his son at risk and caused distress to the whole family. Mr X wants the Council to provide suitable transport and to carry out a risk assessment.

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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:

• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, or
• there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.

(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. In response to Mr X’s complaint the Council said it had originally contacted the school Mr X’s son attends about providing a suitable seat. The school said it had allocated one. When the Council was told the seat was unsuitable it had arranged for one be purchased. The Council had recently delivered training to drivers and passengers, and it apologised for any distress caused.
6. In response to the Ombudsman’s enquiries the Council said it had visited the school to carry out an individual assessment on Mr X’s son. Unfortunately, he was not in school. The Council said it had visited the school on two other occasions to deliver training and there was an additional session placed to review car seats. This would include Mr X’s son.
7. While I understand Mr X’s concerns, we will not start an investigation into his complaint. There was clearly an issue at the start of term, but the Council has taken steps to address this. It has provided suitable transport, apologised, and further work has been carried out. If we investigated, these are the steps we would expect the Council to take. An investigation would not achieve anything more and is not therefore warranted.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because an investigation would not achieve anything more.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman