Worcestershire County Council (22 006 461)
Category : Transport and highways > Traffic management
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 30 Aug 2022
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about coach and bus parking in Mr X’s road. This is because there is no evidence to suggest fault by the Council.
The complaint
- The complainant, who I refer to as Mr X, says the Council should review traffic management issues in his road with the aim of stopping bus and coach parking in it as this causes noise and stress.
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 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))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X, including the Council’s response to his complaint.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained to the Council about matters relating to coach and bus parking in his road.
- The Council responded to Mr X to explain that the majority of the issues he had raised fell under the responsibility of other bodies such as the City and District Councils and the police. It confirmed the bus/coach bay in his road had been established under a Traffic Regulatory Order following the proper legal process and that it had no plans to change it.
- It also told Mr X that, as the Highway Authority, it is limited by central government as to the signs it is able to erect and that it could not erect one for the type he had suggested.
- While Mr X is clearly disturbed by the buses and coaches using the bay and their movement in his road, there is no evidence to suggest there has been fault by the Council.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no evidence to suggest fault by the Council.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman