Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision on the allotment fees it intends to charge. This is because there is no worthwhile outcome we can achieve by investigating.

The complaint

1. Mr X wrote to the Council and asked it to provide an explanation for its proposed increase on allotment rental fees for the financial year 2025. Mr X said based on the proposed increase, this was above the rate of inflation and was therefore unjustified and unfair to allotment keepers.
2. Mr X was also unhappy with how the Council communicated with him over this matter.

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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 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (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. Mr X wrote to the Council because he was unhappy with its proposal to increase its allotment rental fees for the year 2025. He said this was at a rate which was unjustified, because it was beyond the inflation rate. He was also concerned the Council was not applying the same rate increase in other service areas and was therefore being unfair to allotment keepers. The Council replied to Mr X and said its fees and charges were approved by its Cabinet.
7. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because we cannot tell the Council how to manage its resources and therefore cannot achieve a different outcome for Mr X, beyond the explanation the Council has already given him.
8. Nor will we investigate how the Council responded to Mr X’s correspondence about this issue. It is not a good use of our resources to investigate allegations of poor complaint handling, where we are not looking at the substantive issue.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman