London Borough of Ealing (25 027 139)
Category : Transport and highways > Parking and other penalties
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 07 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate most of Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to provide information he requested because the Information Commissioner’s Office is better suited to consider the matter. We will not investigate the Council’s complaint handling because the tests in our Assessment Code are not met.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council failed to:
- respond to his request for information; and
- provide a full and final response to his complaints.
- Mr X said the matter caused him distress, frustration, and uncertainty.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Request for information
- We will not investigate Mr X’s primary complaint about the Council’s response to his request for information.
- Mr X submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Council to obtain the information he wanted. If Mr X is dissatisfied with the Council’s response, he can take the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
- Parliament created the ICO to consider complaints about FOI requests. It is reasonable to expect Mr X to take the matter to the ICO because it is the statutory body best placed to decide whether the Councils has complied with its duties to provide the information Mr X seeks.
Complaints handling
- It is not a good use of public resources to investigate complaints about complaint procedures if we decide not to investigate the substantive issue. Consequently, we will not investigate this complaint because the tests in our Assessment Code are not met.
Final decision
- We will not investigate most of Mr X’s complaint because the Information Commissioner’s Office is better suited to consider the matter. We will not investigate the remainder because the tests in our Assessment Code are not met.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman