Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the installation of an Electrical Vehicle Charging Point outside Mrs X’s home. This is because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault in the Councils actions.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains about the Council's decision to install an Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging point on a lamp column near their driveway. She says the location of the ChargePoint has encouraged vehicles to park adjacent to their driveway, reducing visibility when exiting and creating road safety concerns. She believes the Council failed to properly assess the safety implications of the location and should relocate the ChargePoint to a nearby alternative location.

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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 not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating, or
• we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants, or
• 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 the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The Council said it installed the ChargePoint as part of its EV charging strategy after relevant officers and teams responsible for transport, parking and infrastructure assessed the proposal. They identified the location as suitable because it offered available kerbside space, had no parking restrictions, and already had a lamp column in situ.
6. The Council accepted Mrs X had experienced inconvenience but concluded that any difficulties with visibility or access arise primarily from the way some motorists choose to park, rather than from the location of the ChargePoint itself. The Council converted an existing lamp column into an EV charging point. It did not install a new column or make any changes to the highway layout that physically restricted access to Mrs X's driveway.
7. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint, because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault in the Councils actions. The claimed injustice is not caused directly by the Council; Mrs X’s concerns arise from the actions of motorists parking adjacent to the driveway. These are actions of third parties, not actions of the Council.
8. In addition, we cannot achieve the outcome Mrs X seeks. We do not have the power to require the Council to relocate the ChargePoint.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because further investigation is unlikely to find evidence of fault in the Councils actions.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman