Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a child’s school transport. This is because it is unlikely an investigation would add anything significant to the response the Council has already made, or lead to a different outcome.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains her son was left stranded at school due to the Council’s failure to inform her of a change to his school transport arrangements. She says this caused her son distress and anxiety.

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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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (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. Mrs X’s son was not picked up by transport at the end of a school day. The Council had changed its policy on eligibility for free school transport and had not made Mrs X aware that her child would no longer get free home to school transport.
6. Mrs X complained to the Council about not being consulted about the proposal to change the policy on free transport and about not being notified the new policy had been implemented. The Council has apologised and offered Mrs X a remedy, however she says the remedy does not include the distress caused to her son.
7. This complaint focusses solely on the distress Mrs X’s son suffered on the day he had no means of getting home from school. While I understand the upset this would have caused to Mrs X’s son, it is unlikely the Council has accepted the fault on its part and has apologised. This is a reasonable outcome in the circumstances and our intervention is not therefore warranted.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because our investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman