Coventry City Council (25 004 995)
Category : Environment and regulation > Trading standards
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 31 Aug 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to investigate Mrs Y’s complaint about trading standards enforcement. The complaint is late and there is no good reason why it could not have been made sooner.
The complaint
- Mrs Y complained the Council did not enforce regulations following her dissatisfaction with work carried out by a private trader.
- Mrs Y said the failures of the private trader directly caused her husband to experience ill health, and the Council should provide her with compensation.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mrs Y and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mrs Y complained the Council did not enforce regulations following her dissatisfaction with work carried out by a private trader.
- I have focused specifically on Mrs Y’s complaint about the Council’s decision. This is because we have no jurisdiction to consider complaints about work carried out by private traders.
- Information provided by Mrs Y and the Council showed she first approached the Citizens Advice Bureau and the Council about this issue in mid-2024.
- I have considered if there are any good reasons that would allow me to exercise discretion to consider Mrs Y’s complaint to us. I have not seen any evidence why Mrs X could not have approached us within 12 months of being aware of the Council’s position.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mrs Y’s complaint because it is late and there is no good reason why it could not have been made sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman