Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about parking charges. This is because the matter has not caused Mr X a significant personal injustice which is serious enough to warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. The complainant, whom I shall call Mr X, complains he had to pay for a full day car park ticket at one of the Council’s car parks after he lost his original ticket.

Back to top

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 effect 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 an investigation if we decide the tests set out in our Assessment Code are not met. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended)
3. We do not start an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement; or
• there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

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

Back to top

My assessment

6. Mr X complained to the Council after he had to purchase a full day car park ticket to exit one of the Council’s car parks after he lost his original ticket. Mr X said he did not intend to lose his ticket and it was unfair that he had to pay twice.
7. The Council did not uphold Mr X’s complaint. It explained that Mr X had been charged in line with its published policy to charge from 8am on the day of entry to the car park when a ticket is lost and not available at the car park exit barrier. This policy is displayed on the car park’s tariff boards. It is also published on the Council’s website.
8. This is not a complaint we will investigate. This is because the matter has not caused Mr X a significant personal injustice which is serious enough to warrant an investigation. We do not investigate every complaint we receive and we must focus our limited public resources on those complaints where a person has suffered a significant personal injustice as a result of fault by a body in our jurisdiction.
9. Further to this, it is unlikely we would find fault by the Council here were we to investigate. This is because Mr X was charged in line with the Council’s published policy on lost tickets.

Back to top

Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. This is because the matter has not caused Mr X any significant personal injustice which is serious enough to merit an investigation and it would not be a good use of our limited public resources to do so.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman