Milton Keynes Council (24 014 065)
Category : Transport and highways > Street furniture and lighting
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 15 Jan 2025
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about delays by the Council in repairing a broken streetlight. Any injustice is not significant enough to warrant an investigation by us and we cannot achieve the outcome Mr X wants.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council delayed repairing a broken streetlight near his home.
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 injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement, or
- we cannot achieve the outcome someone wants.
(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
- Mr X complained about the time taken by the Council to repair a broken streetlight.
- The Council partially upheld Mr X’s complaint. It explained the cause of the delay. It agreed, in future, it would make sure residents are made aware of potential delays to repair works when the works are complex and has therefore identified any learning from this complaint.
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice he has experienced due to the broken light is not significant enough to warrant an investigation by us. The explanation by the Council has also minimised any injustice there may have been to Mr X.
- Additionally, the Council has already explained the reasons for the delay to Mr X. It explained it is waiting for the National Grid to do some works before it can complete the repair. Further investigation by us would not achieve the outcome Mr X wants because we cannot tell the National Grid how to plan its works.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because any injustice he has experienced is not significant enough to warrant an investigation by us and we cannot achieve the outcome he wants.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman