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

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mr X, complains the Council increased the cost of an annual parking permit by £22 from £117 to £139 in the period between sending him a permit renewal reminder and him buying a new permit a few weeks later. Mr X says the Council was not transparent about the price increase.

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 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 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))

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 about the matter set out in paragraph 1, above.
7. In response, the Council said it had published information on its website about the increase in permit charges in advance of the changes and before Mr X renewed his permit.
8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint. This is because the matter complained about has not caused Mr X any significant personal injustice which is serious enough to warrant an investigation. We do not investigate every complaint we receive. We must focus our limited public resources on considering complaints where a person has suffered a significant personal injustice as a result of claimed fault by a body in our jurisdiction. The difference between the expected and actual cost of the permit is relatively modest at £22. The claimed injustice to Mr X is not serious enough to justify the use of public money to carry out an investigation.

Back to top

Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X ’s complaint because the matter complained about has not caused him any significant personal injustice which is serious enough to warrant an investigation.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman