The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about faulty street lights as this does not cause the complainant serious, personal injustice.
The complaint
Mr X complains the Council has not dealt with his report of faulty street lights that are permanently on.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
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 injustice is not significant enough to justify our involvement (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6)) We cannot investigate something that affects all or most of the people in a council’s area. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
While I recognise Mr X’s concerns about the faulty street lights, he is not personally affected to a degree that would warrant our involvement. If Mr X’s concern is the cost to the public purse, then we have no remit to investigate, as this impacts on all or most of the residents in the Council’s area.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because he is not personally affected by it to a degree that would warrant our involvement.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman