Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a virtual parking permit and the Council’s handling of the matter because the Council upheld the complaint, provided a full refund for the permit and explained service improves it would make. An investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve anything further.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s parking permit scheme. Mr X said the Council failed to:
1. inform him his permit had switched to a digital permit;
2. refund him the full cost of his permit; and
3. respond to his complaint sufficiently.
2. Mr X said the matter caused him time and trouble and uncertainty.

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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 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)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

Informed of the switch to digital permit

6. We will not investigate this complaint. As part of the Council’s complaint response the Council accepted its processes for informing users about the digital permit required a different approach. It acknowledged Mr X was caused frustration by its current process.
7. The Council explained it would improve its services including:
1. introducing a comprehensive permit confirmation email for virtual permits, including guidance on viewing, managing, and cancelling payments; and
2. establishing a strengthened refund oversight framework, including automatic escalation of refund cases open for more than five weeks to the Head of Parking Services.
8. An investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve anything further. Any remaining injustice is not significant enough to warrant our involvement.

Refund for unused permit

9. The Council provided Mr X with a partial refund for his permit. It charged him an administrative fee to receive the refund. Mr X wanted the Council to reimburse these costs.
10. The Council, in its final complaint response, reimbursed Mr X these costs. An investigation by the Ombudsman is unlikely to achieve anything further, and so we will not investigate this matter.

Complaint handling

11. The Council apologised for its poor complaints handling in its stage one response. An investigation is unlikely to achieve anything else, and so we will not investigate this complaint.
12. In any case, 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.

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Final decision

13. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the tests in our Assessment Code are not met.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman