Transport for London (21 014 830)
Category : Transport and highways > Public transport
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 16 Feb 2022
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a disrupted tube journey in 2017 because it is a late complaint.
The complaint
- The complainant, whom I refer to as Mr X, complains about a disrupted tube journey in 2017 and comments he read when he made a FOI request. Mr X wants an apology.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 the Authority provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by Mr X and the Authority. This includes correspondence from 2017 and 2018. I considered our Assessment Code and invited Mr X to comment on a draft of this decision.
My assessment
- Mr X had a disrupted tube journey in 2017. Mr X complained about the journey in 2017 and when he made a request to see documents held by the Authority he complained about comments that had been made about his conduct. In 2019 Mr X threatened the Authority with legal action. Mr X complained to us in 2022.
- I will not start an investigation because this is a late complaint. Mr X is complaining about events that occurred more than four years ago. This is significantly longer than 12 months and I have not seen any good reason to investigate such a late complaint.
Final decision
- I will not start an investigation because this is a late complaint.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman