The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint that his property was damaged by a Council-owned tree which fell during a storm. This is because it is reasonable for Mr B to pursue his compensation claim by taking the Council to court.
The complaint
The complainant, who I will refer to as Mr B, complains that his property was damaged by a Council-owned tree which fell during a storm. Mr B complains the Council has wrongly rejected his compensation claim for the damage.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
The Act says we cannot normally investigate a complaint when someone could take the matter to court. However, we may decide to investigate if we consider it would be unreasonable to expect the person to go to court. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26(6)(c), as amended)
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by Mr B.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
Mr B says the Council is liable for the damage to his property. Mr B says the tree was not suitable for this location and the Council has settled a similar compensation claim made by another resident.
In effect, Mr B’s complaint is that his property was damaged because of Council negligence. Deciding whether an organisation has been negligent usually involves looking rigorously, and in a structured way at evidence as only the court can to make its findings. In addition, only a court can decide if an organisation has been negligent and so should pay damages. We cannot recommend actions or payments that ‘punish’ the organisation.
I cannot decide whether the Council has been negligent and have no powers to enforce an award of damages.
So, I would usually expect someone in Mr B’s position to seek a remedy in the courts, directly or through his home insurer. I do not consider there is any exceptional reason why Mr B cannot do this. So, we will not investigate this complaint.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint because it is reasonable for him to take the Council to court.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman