The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mrs X’s blue badge application for her son. Mrs X complaint is late and there is no good reason to consider it now.
The complaint
Mrs X complains that the Council failed to assess her son Mr Y’s eligibility for a Blue Badge properly. She says the Council did not apply the Department for Transport’s guidance on non‑visible disabilities and safety risk. She says the Council relied on a desk‑based assessment by a Chartered Physiotherapist to assess autism, which is outside that professional’s competence. She says that the Council did not respond to her appeals for a long period and kept her application fees without giving her a decision.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council/care provider has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mrs X complains about her son’s 2023 Blue Badge applications, but she has only raised the issue now.
Mrs X has been aware of the issues since 2023 and could have approached us at any point in the last three years. There does not appear to be a good reason for the delay.
Mrs X says she chose not to make a new discretionary Blue Badge application when the Council advised this was the correct route. This was her decision and does not amount to a good reason for delaying her complaint to us.
We will not investigate this complaint because the events happened more than 12 months ago and Mrs X has not given a good reason for the delay in coming to us. It is also still open to Mrs X to reapply for a Blue Badge to the Council.
Final decision
We will not investigate because the complaint is late and there is no good reason to consider it now.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman