Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about a road sign installed by the Council. Even if there has been fault by the Council, the injustice Mrs X claims has been caused to her by the matter is not sufficient to warrant us investigating.

The complaint

1. Mrs X lives in a property at a junction of two roads, road A and road B. Her address includes the name of road A.
2. Mrs X complains the Council has put up a sign in front of her house with the name of road B.
3. She says she is missing guests who are trying to find her property, and is also getting visits from people looking for the same number house on road B. She wants the Council to remove the sign, or change it to read ‘Road A leading to Road B’.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

4. The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide:

• any fault has not caused injustice to the person who complained; or
• any injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement.

(Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information from Mrs X, relevant online maps and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

6. It is unclear whether the length of road where the Council has installed the sign, in front of Mrs X’s house, is part of road A or road B. The Council says popular online maps showing that particular stretch of road are wrong to label it as part of road A. Mrs X disagrees. Her address includes road A and she considers the stretch is part of road A. There is insufficient evidence, including on the Council’s local online mapping system, to confirm the length of road is part of road A or B.
7. But even if there has been fault in the Council’s decision to fit the road sign as worded, we will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint. We recognise Mrs X receiving visitors for another address and some of her guests having difficulty finding her property could cause her frustration and inconvenience. But these are not significant enough claimed injustices to warrant us using our resources to investigate the matter.
8. Mrs X might take steps to lessen the possibility of some of her concerns. She could give detailed instructions to her guests on how to find her home. She might also consider putting up a sign to advise visitors seeking the same house number on road B that they are at the wrong property.

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Final decision

9. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the claimed injustices caused by the matter are not significant enough to warrant us investigating.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman