The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the scrappage scheme because the issue has been resolved.
The complaint
The complainant, Mr X, complained the Authority had not responded to his appeal about a decision he was ineligible for a grant under the scrappage scheme.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We investigate complaints about ‘maladministration’ and ‘service failure’. In this statement, I have used the word fault to refer to these. We provide a free service but must use public money carefully. We may decide not to start an investigation if we are satisfied with the actions an organisation has taken or proposes to take. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(7), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr X and the Authority. This includes the complaint correspondence and an update from Mr X. I also considered our Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr X appealed against the Authority’s decision that he did not qualify for help under the scrappage scheme.
We asked the Authority to consider the issue as a complaint. In response, the Authority reassessed the application and found it had incorrectly refused to make an award. The Authority approved the application and awarded a grant. It refunded all the Ultra Low Emission Zone charges Mr X had incurred and apologised for the initial decision and the delayed response.
We will not start an investigation because, for the reasons explained above, the complaint has been resolved and Mr X is satisfied with the outcome.
Final decision
We will not investigate this complaint because the Authority has provided a satisfactory remedy.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman