Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a request for additional parking regulations. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

The complaint

1. The complainant, who I will call Ms X, complains about how the Council dealt with her request to introduce additional parking restrictions to prevent vehicles blocking her driveway which makes it difficult for her to move her vehicle and blocks the road for large vehicles.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X asked the Council to implement parking restrictions on the road outside her property to stop cars blocking her driveway and to ensure large vehicles, such as emergency vehicles, are not blocked from accessing the road.
6. The Council arranged a visit to view parking and traffic along the road and to take measurements. It also spoke to crews of refuse vehicles that accessed the road regularly. Whilst the Council did not agree that restrictions should be introduced outside Ms X’s driveway, it did consider that restrictions should be introduced on other parts of the road. The Council carried out a consultation exercise about the proposed restriction and considered residents comments, including those from Ms X. The restrictions have since been accepted and implemented.
7. I will not investigate this complaint because I have seen no evidence of fault in how the Council dealt with Ms X’s request for restrictions or in how it consulted about other restrictions on the road. We may not question the merits of decisions which have been properly made. We do not comment on judgements councils make, unless they are affected by fault in the decision-making process.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is no evidence of fault.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman