Essex County Council (21 005 317)
Category : Transport and highways > Traffic management
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 07 Sep 2021
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council not repainting yellow lines on the road where the complainant lives. This is because the Council agreed yellow lines needed repainting and recently carried out the work. We do not consider the complainant has suffered injustice because of the delay in the works that warrants our involvement.
The complaint
- The complainant, who I will call Mr X, complains resurfacing work took place on the road where he lives and the Council did not repaint the yellow lines following the work.
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 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 an investigation if we decide:
- any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained,
- any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
- further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6)).
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council. I also considered our Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council arranged resurfacing work on the road where Mr X lives and the yellow lines on the road were covered as a result.
- Mr X complained to the Council, on the telephone, many times. He says the road is busy and without the yellow lines there is danger of an accident happening.
- In May 2021 the Council responded to Mr X. It recognised the yellow lines needed repainting but did not provide a timescale.
- The Council has confirmed to me it has now repainted the yellow lines.
Final decision
- I will not investigate this complaint. There was a delay in completing the work but this did not cause Mr X significant personal injustice. Now the Council has repainted the lines, investigation would achieve no further worthwhile outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman