Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about actions taken by the Council in relation to parking. We have already investigated most of what she complains about. And there is not enough evidence of fault to investigate the new matters she raises.

The complaint

1. Ms X has complained previously to us that the Council:
• wrongly granted planning permission to allow the construction of a building unsuitable for disabled people;
• changed the parking arrangements so they were unsuitable for some disabled people; and
• made a dishonest submission to us during one of our previous investigations.
2. Her current complaint covers most of the above. She also says the Council later agreed to a mitigation meeting, but then drew up an agenda for the meeting and discarded her own.
3. Ms X says that as a result, there was no point in attending the meeting and so she did not go. She says this has affected her sleep. She wants her agenda reinstating and the meeting to be rescheduled.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by the complainant.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. The Ombudsman has already investigated Ms X’s previous complaints. Therefore, I will not consider them again.
8. In relation to the meeting, it is unlikely an investigation would find fault. If Ms X had attended, this would have enabled a discussion to have taken place and it is likely Ms X would have raised the matters she was concerned about whether or not they were on the agenda. It was Ms X’s decision not to attend and the Council cannot be held responsible for that decision. It is also unlikely that its decision not to offer a second meeting would be fault.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because it is unlikely an investigation would find fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman