Charnwood Borough Council (26 010 579)
Category : Transport and highways > Highway repair and maintenance
Decision : Upheld
Decision date : 08 Sep 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about drainage repair and maintenance because we are satisfied with the actions the council has agreed to take.
The complaint
- Mr Y complains the Council has repeatedly told him it will clear drains in its area of debris but once the date it says it will carry out the work arrives, the work is not completed.
- Mr Y says he repeatedly has to move his car from outside his property when the car park floods following heavy rain, is concerned about his property being flooded as others in the area have been and has had to repeatedly contact the Council to chase up the works, causing him inconvenience.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided Mr Y and the Council and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- If we were to investigate it is likely we would find fault causing the complainant injustice because the Council has repeatedly agreed to carry out the work with timescales for the clearance of the drains but has then failed to complete the work as agreed.
- We therefore asked the Council to clear the drains in the area surrounding Mr Y’s property, particularly relating to the nearby brook and car park outside the property.
Agreed action
- To its credit the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint. It has agreed to:
- to clear the drains in the area surrounding Mr Y’s property, particularly relating to the nearby brook and car park outside the property within one month of this final decision.
- The Council should provide us with evidence that the above recommendation has been completed.
Final decision
- We have upheld this complaint because the Council has agreed to resolve the complaint early by providing a proportionate remedy for the injustice caused to Mr Y.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman