Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council deals with unauthorised parking because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains the Council has reduced parking enforcement patrols on the street adjoining his home, meaning there is no deterrent to parking on double yellow lines. He is unhappy the Council declined to install bollards to prevent parking. Mr X says he experiences increased air and noise pollution as a result of unauthorised parking.

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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. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate. 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)

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How I considered this complaint

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

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My assessment

6. Mr X says the number of parking enforcement visits to the street adjoining his home has dropped since 2021. We expect a person to complain to us within twelve months of becoming aware of the problem. We received Mr X’s complaint in October 2025. I can see no good reason why Mr X could not have complained to us sooner if he believed the Council’s parking enforcement was inadequate in previous years. I will therefore not consider events before October 2024.
7. Regarding events since October 2024, Mr X says his injustice is increased air and noise pollution caused by unauthorised parking. There is not enough evidence this amounts to serious enough loss, harm or distress to justify our involvement. I appreciate Mr X is frustrated the Council has not done more, but that frustration is not, in itself, significant enough injustice to warrant us investigating either.

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Final decision

8. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice from the Council’s enforcement of unauthorised parking is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman