Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about allocation of parking bays. Any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has unfairly refused his request to transfer to a different parking bay.

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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))

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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. Mr X is currently allocated a parking bay but states the location of his bay causes inconvenience. He asked the Council if he could transfer to another bay, but his request was refused.
6. We do not normally investigate complaints unless there is good reason to believe that the complainant has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the service provider.
7. We will not investigate this complaint. Although Mr X states his current bay causes inconvenience, this is not significant enough injustice to warrant an investigation.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman