Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a payment he made which he said was unaccounted for in an automatic payment machine. We would not be able to reach a conclusion about what had happened and therefore there is no worthwhile outcome we could achieve.

The complaint

1. Mr X said he paid a sum of money into a Council payment machine which was not fully accounted for. He said this meant £20 was not put onto a payment he made. Mr X wants the Council to make up the difference.

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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 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 and I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

4. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. The Council investigated his complaint and said the payment had not been made and Mr X disputes this. Because there is no other evidence we can consider, we cannot reach a conclusion and so there is no worthwhile outcome we can achieve.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman