Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (25 008 570)
Category : Other Categories > Leisure and culture
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 14 Aug 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Miss X not being able to contact the library directly rather having to go through a call centre. This is because there is insufficient evidence of significant injustice. Additionally, we cannot achieve the outcome she is looking for.
The complaint
- Miss X complained that it’s no longer possible to directly ring her local library and she now has to contact it by calling the Council’s call centre. Miss X said she was inconvenienced by this.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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, or
- we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.
(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Miss X said the Council has removed direct phone access to her library and instead implemented a centralised customer contact number. Miss X said this causes her inconvenience.
- 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.
- I will not investigate Miss X’s complaint that the Council removed ability to directly call library because there is insufficient evidence of significant injustice. Miss X wanted the Council to re-instate its earlier arrangements and we cannot achieve this as an outcome.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of significant injustice and we cannot achieve the outcome she is looking for.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman