Coventry City Council (24 009 175)
Category : Transport and highways > Highway repair and maintenance
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 06 Oct 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about highway maintenance because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation.
The complaint
- Ms y complained the Council took too long to grant a permit to repair a manhole cover which was in disrepair. She also complained about the lack of information she was provided by the Council in response to her complaint.
- Ms Y says the disrepair issue meant that she and her child were unable to sleep, increasing the impact of medical issues on them.
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 there is no worthwhile outcome achievable by our investigation. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
- It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we are unable to deal with the substantive issue.
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information Ms Y and the Council provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Ms Y complained to the Council about the manhole cover in the summer 2024. She complained about delays in the matter in July. The Council’s complaint response shows that it was initially unable to provide the permit as a third party needed to provide information for it to do so. The work was then completed in August 2024. Ms Y approached us in September 2024.
- As the repairs have now been completed and the Council has investigated the complaint and feedback to its staff about management of such issues, the Council has acted to rectify the issue and to try to prevent recurrence. This is a proportionate remedy. Any further investigation would not provide a worthwhile outcome. We will not investigate.
- As we are not investigating the substantive issue, it is not a good use of public funds to investigate how the Council dealt with Ms Y’s complaint.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Ms Y’s complaint because there is no worthwhile outcome achievable from our investigation.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman