Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about a fault automatic number plate recognition system. This is because the Council has resolved the issue and apologised to Mr X and this provides a suitable remedy for the complaint.

The complaint

1. The complainant, Mr X, complains about a faulty automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system at a local car park. This meant barrier did not raise when he drove up to it.
2. Mr X says this resulted in him receiving verbal abuse from other motorists and meant he had to put off several trips for which he intended to use the car park.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

3. We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start or continue with an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. When Mr X reported the issue with the ANPR system to the Council the Council explained that as a workaround he could take a ticket at the entry barrier, allowing it to raise, and the exit barrier would raise automatically when he went to leave. It also explained he could press the ‘help’ button for assistance between 9am and 5pm.
7. Mr X was concerned about the possibility of being stuck in the car park if the exit barrier did not raise but the Council confirmed it is programmed to open automatically after 5pm. It also explained the two cameras are separate so while the entry carrier may not have been working properly, the exit camera likely remained operational.
8. The Council upheld Mr X’s complaint, apologised, agreed to look at extending the operating hours of staff who answer the help button and added Mr X’s registration to a separate list of permitted vehicles. It also worked with its permit and hardware providers to try to resolve the underlying issues with the ANPR system and the entry camera.
9. Mr X has since contacted us to report the system is working and it appeared the Council had fixed the problem. I am therefore satisfied the Council’s actions provided a satisfactory remedy for the issue and that further investigation is unlikely to achieve anything more for him. While Mr X asks that we keep a watching brief on the matter in case the system stops working again this is not our role.

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Final decision

10. We will not investigate this complaint. This is because we are satisfied with the actions the Council has taken to remedy the complaint.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman