Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about controlled parking zone applications. This is because the complaint is made late and there are not good reasons to investigate now.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complains the Council did not respond to her applications to implement parking controls in her street. Mrs X says she and other residents find it difficult to park. Mrs X also complains the Council did not properly respond to her complaint about this.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
4. 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))

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

7. Mrs X submitted applications to the Council in September and October 2023 for her street to be included in its controlled parking zone areas but says she did not receive any response.
8. Mrs X complained to us in February 2025. As such, her complaint is late as not made within a year of her knowing about the problem. I do not consider there are good reasons for us to investigate this late complaint now.
9. Mrs X complained to the Council in late 2024 but says she did not receive a proper response. We will not investigate the Council’s complaint handling in isolation as this does not cause Mrs X a level of loss or harm that would warrant our further involvement.
10. For these reasons, we will not investigate.

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Final decision

11. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because it is made late and there are not good reasons to investigate now.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman