Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s requirement for taxi drivers to display a licence at the front of their vehicles. Mr X’s claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council introduced a policy, which required him to display a licence at the front of his taxi.
2. Mr X said this caused him concern about the potential impact this could have on his vehicle’s performance, safety and running costs.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. In April 2025, the Council introduced a policy for taxi vehicles. This included a requirement for drivers to display a licence at the front of their vehicles.
7. Mr X is a taxi driver and said the change caused concern about the impact this would have on his vehicle. Mr X said he was concerned the Council had not carried out any research to determine what impact this would cause.
8. In its complaint response, the Council said it introduced the policy as a public safety measure. It also said there was no evidence of the licence causing safety or performance issues.
9. Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation. This means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures. We will not normally investigate a complaint where the alleged loss or injustice is not a serious or significant matter.
10. There is no evidence to suggest Mr X has suffered a significant injustice meeting the threshold for our involvement. For this reason, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because his claimed injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman