Summary: Mr X complains the Council does not consult with taxi trade representatives. We will not investigate the complaint because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault by the Council.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I refer to as Mr X, says the Council should hold trade meetings with his taxi driver organisation so that it can help the Council make better informed decisions. Its failure to do this puts drivers at a disadvantage.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide:

• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
• we could not add to any previous investigation by the organisation, or
• further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
5. I gave the complainant the opportunity to comment on my draft decision.

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What I found

6. Mr X acts as a representative for taxi drivers who are members of his organisation. He looks after their interests and responds to consultation by the Council on their behalf.
7. Mr X complained to the Council that it should be holding taxi trade meetings with trade representatives on behalf of their members.
8. A senior officer from the Council’s Taxi Licensing Team responded to Mr X’s concerns and set out in a number of emails how the Council communicates with the taxi trade. However, it confirmed it did not hold trade meetings and it did not have a list of Trade Associations, but that Mr X’s details had been added to its mailing list for any information about taxis the Licensing Team sends out, including any consultation exercises it carries out.
9. At Stage 2 of its complaints procedure, the Council repeated the information it had previously given Mr X and found no fault in the way his concerns had been handled or in the information he had been given.

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Assessment

10. While I understand Mr X is disappointed the Council will not hold trade meetings with the association he represents, it is under no obligation to do so. It has set out how it communicates and consults in relation to taxi related issues and I do not consider an investigation by the Ombudsman would be likely to find evidence of fault.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because we are unlikely to find evidence of fault by the Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman