Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council seeking to recover part of a clean air taxi grant. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council sought to recover part of the clean air taxi (CAT) grant it issued to him. This was because his taxi licence had been revoked and therefore the Council said Mr X had failed to meet the terms of the grant.
2. Mr X said this caused stress because he could not afford to pay back the amount the Council sought.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. 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 not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. In April 2024 the Council awarded Mr X a CAT grant. This was for Mr X to buy a vehicle which met the Council’s clean air requirements.
7. The Council said the grant agreement included various terms. One of the terms said the vehicle had to be licenced as a taxi for two years after the issuing of the grant.
8. Around 19 months after the Council issued the grant, Mr X’s taxi licence was revoked. Mr X appealed the decision in court but did not get his licence back.
9. The Council went on to recover a portion of the CAT grant because of this. It said Mr X could not meet the terms of the agreement for the final five months due to not having a taxi licence.
10. The available evidence suggests the Council acted in line with the agreement it made with Mr X when it awarded him the grant. Therefore, we would be unlikely to find fault by the Council here. For this reason, we will not investigate this complaint.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is not enough evidence of fault by the Council to warrant our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman