Southampton City Council (24 014 707)
Category : Transport and highways > Other
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 06 Feb 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint that the Council incorrectly placed a street nameplate on Mr X’s land as Mr X is not caused a level of injustice from Council fault to justify our further action.
The complaint
- Mr X complains the Council wrongly placed a street name plate on his land and about difficulties he experienced when he complained to the Council about this. Mr X wants the Council to pay him compensation for using his land for a month without his permission.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- 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 fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The Council has acknowledged there were failings in its response to Mr X after he contacted it about the sign. The Council apologised to Mr X for this and explained steps it was taking to address the failings.
- The Council provided a full explanation of how the sign came to be placed on Mr X’s land but refused to pay him compensation as in its view such a payment was not warranted.
- We will not investigate as, while I recognise Mr X remains dissatisfied, I do not consider there is sufficient remaining injustice caused to him, given the sign has been removed, and the Council has apologised, to warrant our further action. We have limited resources and must direct them to the most serious cases. I do not consider this to be such a case.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is insufficient remaining injustice caused to him to justify our further action.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman