LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of a penalty charge notice. This is because the Council’s actions did not cause Mr X significant enough injustice to warrant further investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about housing allocations because it is late without good reasons to investigate it now and there is no worthwhile outcome.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about illegal parking on Miss B’s road. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a house Mr X leased to the Council. Mr X could reasonably have used his right to take court action to get the house back. There is not enough public interest in us investigating whether the Council should have paid Mr X more for the house over the years.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an overgrown tree because the courts are better placed to consider this complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice because the Council has cancelled the fine and the complainant could have used the statutory process.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s response to the complainant’s concerns about his child. This is because we would not achieve anything significant by doing so.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to remove information regarding Mr X from its records. This is because the complaint relates to personal data and is best placed for the Information Commissioner’s officer to deal with.

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s handling of his waste collection. The Council failed to consistently collect waste, failed to properly address the cause of this and kept poor records. These faults caused Mr X frustration and uncertainty. The Council will apologise and make a payment to Mr X to recognise the personal injustice caused to him. The Council will also review its processes.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about a Council’s school admissions appeal panel’s decision as it is unlikely we would find fault.

Summary: Mr R complained about the Council’s handling of his anti-social behaviour and noise complaints about his neighbours. We found fault in the Council’s actions which caused an injustice. The Council will provide Mr R with a personal remedy and carry out service improvements.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s assessment of a housing application. There is insufficient evidence of fault which would warrant an investigation.

Summary: Miss B complained that the Council was preventing her from paying her council tax, because it would not provide a method of payment which did not require a bank account. We have found some fault. The Council has agreed to consider whether Miss B is entitled to a payment card for exceptional reasons and add some information to its website about this alternative.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a bus lane penalty charge notice as Mr X had the right to appeal it to an independent tribunal.

Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to provide him and Ms Y with information about possible charges for her residential care leading to a debt causing distress. We have found no evidence of fault in the way the Council considered these matters. So, we have completed our investigation.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council damaging Mrs B’s property when it replaced the roof of the adjoining property. This is because we cannot investigate complaints about the management of social housing by councils.

Summary: Miss X complained about the Council’s decision not to award her the highest banding on its housing register and not moving her after she was a victim of crime. We found the Council at fault for failing to provide interim and temporary accommodation in line with its homelessness duties to Miss X. The Council has agreed to our recommendations to remedy the injustice caused.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about an overpayment of housing benefit as there was a right of appeal to a tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about crematorium gardeners walking over the area where her mother’s ashes were laid. This is because it is unlikely we could add to the response the Council has already provided via its own investigation of the matter. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about where her mother’s ashes were laid in 2021. It lies outside our jurisdiction because the complaint has not been made within 12 months.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s involvement in Mr X’s child’s case. The matter is being considered by the courts, and we are therefore prevented in law from investigating it.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice because the complainant appealed to the tribunal. We will not investigate the second fine because the complainant could have appealed to the tribunal.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that his car was damaged by an unmarked speed hump. This is because it is reasonable for Mr B to pursue his compensation claim by taking the Council to court.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s review of a housing application in 2023 and its consideration of a new complaint in 2024. There is insufficient evidence of fault and the review matter has been previously investigated by the Ombudsman.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council wrongly rejected his challenge to a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) and then failed to follow the correct enforcement procedure. The Council accepts it failed to follow the correct procedure. This denied Mr X the opportunity to appeal the Notice. Following the Ombudsman’s investigation. the Council has apologised to Mr X and refunded the charge.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Miss X receiving a Penalty Charge Notice. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. Miss X could have used her legal right to appeal to London Tribunals and it was reasonable to expect her to do this.