Royal Borough of Greenwich (18 014 870)
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to respond to her requests to install additional CCTV cameras at her local sports centre. The Council has reviewed the system and agreed to make changes; this provides a satisfactory resolution to the complaint.
The complaint
- The complainant, Mrs X, complains the Council did not respond to her requests to install CCTV cameras to cover a bike shed at her local sports centre.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We provide a free service, but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions a council has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I reviewed Mrs X’s complaint, made enquiries of the Council and considered its response. I shared my draft decision with Mrs X and considered her comments.
What I found
- Mrs X is concerned about the security of bicycles at her local sports centre, following a recent theft. She no longer wishes to use her own bicycle to access the centre as she is worried it could be stolen. She contacted the Council and the sports centre to ask about its CCTV but each told her it was the other’s responsibility. She complained to the Council about its handling of the matter but did not receive a response.
- The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. The Council is responsible for the CCTV at the sports centre and it has undertaken a review of the system in response to Mrs X’s concerns. It confirms it intends to make changes so that the bicycle shelter is covered by its cameras and anticipates this will be complete within the next two to four weeks. This provides a satisfactory resolution to the complaint and it is unlikely we would recommend any further remedy for Mrs X.
- Mrs X is also unhappy with the way the Council has dealt with her complaint. But it is not a good use of public resources to look at the Council’s complaints handling if we are not going to look at the substantive issue complained about. We will not therefore investigate this issue separately from Mrs X’s complaint about CCTV coverage.
Agreed action
- The Council has undertaken a review of its CCTV system and will make changes to ensure the bicycle shelter is covered by its cameras within the next two to four weeks.
Final decision
- The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because the Council has provided a suitable remedy for Mrs X.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman