The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s decisions relating to road classification and traffic signs. Any injustice is not significant and further investigation is unlikely to achieve a different outcome.
The complaint
Mr X complained the Council have wrongly interpreted guidance on road classification and traffic signs following recent changes to the road network near where he lives. Mr X was also dissatisfied with the explanations the Council gave him about these matters.
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 further investigation would not lead to a different outcome. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6), as amended, section 34(B))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
In June and October 2023, Mr X wrote to the Council and asked it for further information about its decisions, relating to road classifications and traffic signs affecting the road near where he lived.
The Council replied to Mr X’s questions and said: It acknowledged his concern about road classifications and agreed to monitor the situation; It had arranged to correct a sign that was incorrect, and; gave him an explanation for the other sign related matters.
Mr X remained unhappy after these explanations and said he thought the Council was avoiding accountability and it should have apologised.
We will not investigate this complaint because there is no reason to believe the Council’s actions has caused Mr X a serious or significant injustice. And in any case, the Council have agreed to monitor his concerns about the road classification, so any further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because there is no significant injustice, and an investigation would not lead to a different outcome.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman