Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s access to library facilities. There is no significant injustice and no worthwhile outcome we can achieve by investigating.

The complaint

1. Mr X was unhappy he could not access all the facilities at his local library because other users were not properly using the facilities and these were then unavailable to him.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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
• 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

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr X complained about the fact other library users were not properly using all the computer facilities in the way they ought to. He said this limited his access to equipment.
6. We will not investigate this complaint because any injustice to Mr X is not significantly serious enough to justify an investigation. We will normally only investigate where a person has suffered serious loss or distress because of the Council’s actions or inactions.
7. Nor can we achieve any meaningful outcome because we cannot direct the Council on how it should monitor other users.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no significant injustice and no worthwhile outcome we can achieve by investigating.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman