West Sussex County Council (25 027 608)
Category : Transport and highways > Highway repair and maintenance
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 12 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a road closure. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
The complaint
- Mr X says the Council has not responded properly to his concerns about road safety due to a road closure. He says the Council should not have closed a road and this has affected emergency access and the diversion has led to unsafe conditions for drivers.
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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome, (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 also considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained to the Council regarding the matters in paragraph 1.
- In its complaint response the Council explained it closed the road while nearby gas mains repair works went on because there were safety concerns regarding drivers mounting the kerb and driving on footways. The Council noted Mr X’s concerns about emergency access and said it had removed concrete blocks and replaced this with fencing. It had also moved concrete barriers to enable safer entry at another point.
- We will not investigate this complaint because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. The Council has monitored and inspected the road and it has changed closure and access following safety concerns.
- Mr X also complained the Council’s responses to his complaint did not answer all his questions. It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures, if we decide not to deal with the substantive issue.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman