Summary: We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to provide additional parking restrictions on the street where Mrs X lives. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.

The complaint

1. Mrs X complained about the Council’s failure to prevent cars from being parked near her home where there are no parking restrictions. She wants the Council to extend existing double yellow lines to her end of the street to prevent obstruction caused by visitors.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. 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

3. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Mrs X lives on a street which has double yellow lines for part of its length. Mrs X says cars park on the narrow road in places causing obstruction to vehicles and pedestrians because it is narrow. She asked the Council in 2019 to extend the lines to cover her part of the road to prevent parking causing problems.
6. The Council advised her that there are no plans to introduce a traffic order for further parking restrictions. Local consultation for this in the past was rejected by residents who preferred to have on-street parking available for visitors use. The Council advised Mrs X to contact the Police who are responsible for parking obstruction where there are no parking restrictions.
7. Mrs X made further complaints to the Council and it advised her to contact us in February and July 2020 after she had exhausted its complaints procedure. This was outside the normal 12-month period for accepting complaints and there is no evidence to suggest that she could not have complained to us sooner.

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Final decision

8. We will not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint about the Council’s refusal to provide additional parking restrictions on the street where Mrs X lives. This complaint was received outside the normal 12-month period for investigating complaints. There is no evidence to suggest that Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman