Manchester City Council (25 004 388)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision-making relating to school transport. The Council has accepted it made an error in considering the application and has proposed a resolution. It said it will do this by arranging transport and re-imbursing travel costs for the period transport should have been in place. It has also apologised.
The complaint
- Ms X said the Council did not properly consider her daughter’s home to school transport application. She said this caused her avoidable inconvenience and distress.
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 or continue with 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 the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- In early 2024, Ms X made an application for home to school transport for her daughter (Y). This was due to coincide with the start of the school term in September 2024.
- The Council refused the application and then refused the appeal. Ms X approached us, and we asked the Council to provide information about this complaint.
- In the Council’s reply it accepted it had not properly considered Y’s circumstances and said she would have been eligible for transport, under its extended rights criteria.
- The Council said it would contact Ms X directly to put this right and make transport arrangements. It said it would re-imburse Ms X for transport costs in the period where it would have been due, if but for its earlier mistake. It also apologised.
- We will not investigate this complaint because these actions are appropriate. It is open to Ms X to come back to us if she is unhappy with how the Council resolves her complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because the Council has to its credit agreed to resolve the complaint early and there are no wider public interest issues to justify investigating.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman