Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council refused to issue a third parking permit for his household outside of its standard policy. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

The complaint

1. Mr X complained the Council refused to exercise its discretion to issue a third parking permit for his home in 2025 after it had done so in previous years.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him frustration and distress.

Back to top

The Ombudsman’s role and powers

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 or continue an investigation if we decide 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

Background

6. Mr X lives in an area with controlled parking. The Council’s policy states it will issue up to two parking permits per household for the controlled zone.
7. Two years ago, Mr X wrote to the Council and asked for a third permit due to a change in household circumstances. The Council considered the circumstances and agreed to issue a third permit using its discretion.
8. The following year Mr X applied to renew the discretionary permit. In its complaint response, the Council said it renewed the discretionary permit by mistake.
9. In 2025 Mr X applied again to renew the discretionary permit for a further year. However, the Council refused the application. In its complaint response the Council explained its policy was to only allow two permits per household per year, and that the original third permit was only grated as a “one off”.

Analysis

10. The Ombudsman is not an appeal body. This means we do not take a second look at a decision to decide if it was wrong. Instead, we look at the processes an organisation followed to make its decision.
11. The Council considered Mr X’s circumstances but decided not to depart from its standard policy of issuing two permits per household in the 2025 year. There is insufficient evidence of fault in the Council’s decision-making for the application made in 2025 to warrant an investigation, and so we will not investigate this complaint.

Back to top

Final decision

12. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault.

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman