Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of new parking restrictions on his road. This is because the injustice is not significant enough to warrant investigation, and the Council has offered a suitable remedy.

The complaint

1. Mr X says the Council painted a single yellow line on his road without displaying any signage to indicate what the parking restrictions were. Mr X says this has caused confusion about whether parking is permitted. He says his wife has a disability and drivers delivering medical supplies are unable to park, and her carers are forced to park far away from the house. Mr X also says he been abused by other motorists who think he has parked illegally. Mr X says this has caused him stress and frustration, and he has spent considerable time trying to resolve the situation.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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 continue an investigation if we decide:

• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))

3. If we are satisfied with an organisation’s actions or proposed actions, we can complete our investigation and issue a decision statement. (Local Government Act 1974, section 30(1B) and 34H(i), 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

6. The Council painted single yellow lines on Mr X’s road in 2022, initially as a temporary measure, in an attempt to improve road safety. As it had not displayed signage indicating what the parking restrictions were, the restrictions were not enforceable. Mr X complained to the Ombudsman about this issue in 2023. We will not investigate the same complaint again and will therefore only look at matters complained of from April 2024.
7. Mr X says signs have still not been displayed. In October 2024, the Council carried out a consultation with residents before making the restrictions permanent. It follows that it would make the restrictions permanent before investing the time and expense of installing signs to make them enforceable.
8. Also, while I understand Mr X’s frustration, I cannot see enough evidence of him being caused a significant personal injustice. If signage had been displayed and the parking restrictions were therefore enforceable, motorists would not have been able to park on the road anyway. That is the issue at the heart of this complaint and the outcome would not have been any different. We will therefore not investigate.
9. The Council offered Mr X £250 to recognise his frustration. Mr X said he would accept this providing the Council paid within one calendar month. When this did not happen, Mr X declined the offer. However, the Council’s offer is a suitable remedy given the circumstances of the complaint.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because the injustice is not sufficient to warrant an investigation, and the Council has offered a suitable remedy.

Investigator’s decision on behalf of the Ombudsman

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman