Summary: Mr X complains about a lack of skateparks and suitable leisure facilities for teenagers and young people in the city. We will not investigate this complaint. We do not consider Mr X has suffered sufficient personal injustice to warrant out involvement.

The complaint

1. The complainant. I shall call Mr X, complains about a lack of suitable facilities in the city for skateboarders, teenagers, and young people. He says most parks have unsatisfactory skateparks and Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs).

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word ‘fault’ to refer to these. We must also consider whether any fault has had an adverse impact on the person making the complaint. I refer to this as ‘injustice’. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we believe the injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered the information provided by Mr X.

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What I found

4. Mr X is a member of the skateboarding community. He is unhappy with a lack of safe, suitable leisure facilities for teenagers and young people. He says his personal safety is at risk when he uses poorly maintained skateparks. And when skating in the streets.
5. The Ombudsman will only normally investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures by the service provider. Also, we will not normally investigate a complaint where the complainant is using their enquiry as a way of raising a wider community campaign.
6. I understand Mr X is not satisfied with the amount of skateparks and leisure facilities which he considers suitable for young people.
7. The Council says it is aware that young people are an under provisioned group. But following publication of its new Green Space Strategy it is looking for providing suitable facilities including skate parks and MUGAs when funding and appropriate locations allow.
8. Mr X is dissatisfied with the Council’s response. However, I am not persuaded that he has suffered a significant personal injustice which warrants our involvement. Mr X appears to be using his complaint as a way of raising a wider community campaign.

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Final decision

9. I will not investigate this complaint. we do not consider he as suffered sufficient personal injustice to warrant our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman