Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about comments made to Miss X regarding a penalty charge notice as this does not represent a level of injustice that would justify our further involvement.

The complaint

1. Miss X complains the Council dealt with her insensitively after it issued a penalty charge notice (PCN) to her which had been incurred after her vehicle had been stolen from her in a domestic theft incident. Miss X says this caused her upset and trauma.

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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 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

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. I recognise that Miss X says she was caused upset by comments made in a letter to her about a PCN. However, from our perspective, this does not represent a level of injustice that would justify our further involvement. We have limited resources and must direct them to the most serious cases. I do not consider this to be such a case.
6. For this reason, we will not investigate.

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Final decision

7. We will not investigate Miss X’s complaint because there is insufficient injustice arising from it to justify our further action.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman