The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about faulty streetlights. The alleged fault has not caused the complainant a significant enough injustice.
The complaint
Mrs X complains the Council has not given a timescale for fixing streetlights on her road which have not been working since November 2023. She says it is dangerous when it gets dark, as vehicles come round the bend at speed into an unlit area of road.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We can 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. So, we do not start 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), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mrs X, and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Whilst I recognise Mrs X’s concerns about streetlights on her road being faulty, I do not consider this issue affects her personally to a degree that would warrant our continued involvement in the matter. With reference to paragraph 2 above, we will therefore not investigate her complaint.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because the alleged fault has not caused her a significant enough injustice.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman