Surrey County Council (25 015 359)
Category : Education > School transport
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 05 Mar 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to make Miss X aware of its home to school transport scheme. This is because an investigation would be unlikely to find fault with the Council’s actions.
The complaint
- Miss X complained the Council did not make her aware of its home to school transport scheme.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Miss X and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss X complained that she only became aware of the Council’s school to home travel assistance scheme in 2025. She said she was neurodiverse and found the information on the Council’s website regarding the scheme confusing. She asked the Council to provide backdated costs due to this.
- The Council said its website contained information regarding the scheme and it did not have the resources to proactively contact people who may be eligible for it.
- Miss X wants us to find the Council at fault. There is no statutory guidance or council policy that requires the Council to make people who may be eligible for travel assistance aware of the scheme. It would have been reasonable for Miss X to make enquiries with the Council if she had questions about the criteria needed for the scheme. An investigation would be unlikely to find fault with the Council’s actions.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because an investigation would be unlikely to find fault with the Council’s actions.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman