Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about highway cleaning because any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

The complaint

1. Mr Y complained the Council has not cleaned his street in over three months. Mr Y says he feels his road is being neglected and says it is starting to smell.

Back to top

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))

Back to top

How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information Mr Y provided and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

Back to top

My assessment

4. Our role is to consider complaints where the person bringing the complaint has suffered significant personal injustice as a direct result of the actions or inactions of the organisation. This means we will normally only investigate a complaint where the complainant has suffered a serious loss, harm or distress as a direct result of faults or failures. We will not normally investigate a complaint where the alleged loss of injustice is not a serious or significant matter.
5. While Mr Y may feel strongly about the issue, he has not suffered a serious loss, harm or distress which would warrant use of public funds to investigate. Consequently, as his injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, we will not investigate this complaint.

Back to top

Final decision

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

Back to top

Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman