Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about parking charges. Any injustice Mr X has experienced is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about added car parking charges imposed by the Council when passing from daytime to evening tariffs.
2. Mr X says he was overcharged, and the Council is acting unfairly and dishonestly about the matter.
3. Mr X wants the Council to review its processes.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. 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 any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by Mr X.
6. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

7. We will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm or distress as a direct result of faults or failures by an organisation. In addition, we will not normally investigate a complaint where the complainant is using their enquiry as a way of raising a wider community campaign about something of general concern, but where they have not suffered significant injustice.
8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. Any injustice Mr X has experienced is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice he has experienced is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman