Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council mishandled Mr X’s request for a payment plan. Mr X’s complaint is late and there is no good reason to exercise discretion and investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council mishandled his requests to pay four penalty charge notices he received in 2022.
2. He says that this has caused him distress.
3. He wants the Council to apologise and pay him £15,000 compensation.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

7. Mr X has been aware of the four penalty charge notices for over three years. During that time, he has been in correspondence with the Council about paying charges as well as other recovery costs. The Council has made various attempts to explain the process and what he needs to do next. Matters around requesting a payment plan started in 2023 and was refused by the Council in February 2024.
8. We will not investigate this complaint. Mr X has been aware of the matters he complains about for significantly longer that 12 months. I can see no good reason why we should exercise discretion and investigate now.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he has known about the matters he complains about for over 12 months and there is no good reason to exercise discretion and investigate now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman