Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about delays and the handling of a vehicle crossover application because Mr Y has not suffered significant personal injustice.

The complaint

1. Mr Y complains about the Council’s handling of his vehicle crossover application and delays in processing this. He also complains about complaint handling and says the Council’s communication has been poor.

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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 fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained, or
• 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 Mr Y and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mr Y applied for a vehicle crossover at his property in July 2025. The Council conducted a site inspection at Mr Y’s property in August 2025 and confirmed it needed to undertake checks with its planning department. There were significant delays in Mr Y receiving updates about his crossover application, of which the Council acknowledged and apologised for.
6. There were delays in the Council processing the application. Mr Y also says the Council failed to respond to correspondence and did not answer his questions. Although Mr Y may have been frustrated by the issues dealing with his application I do not consider he suffered significant personal injustice because of this.
7. Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation. This means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered serious loss, harm, or distress as a direct result of faults or failures. We will not normally investigate a complaint where the alleged loss or injustice is not a serious or significant matter.
8. Mr Y has also complained about the Council’s complaint handling. However, where the Ombudsman has decided not to investigate the substantive issues complained about, we will not usually use public resources to consider more minor matters such as complaint handling.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mr Y’s complaint because he has not suffered significant personal injustice.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman