The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about changes made to the opening hours of a library. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.
The complaint
The complainant, who I will call Ms X, complains that the Council has changed the opening hours for her local library, meaning she is now unable to visit in the evenings. Ms X says the Council made its decision without first consulting residents and without the matter being discussed by councillors during a council meeting.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Ombudsman investigates 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 may decide not to continue with an investigation if we decide there is not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. (Local Government Act 1974, section 24A(6))
How I considered this complaint
I considered information provided by the complainant.
I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
The Council has changed the opening hours of a library, meaning it will no longer be open in the evenings. The Council say that the library is located in a shopping centre which closes at 6pm meaning staff are more isolated. Therefore, managers of the library made the decision that it would close earlier in the interests of the safety of staff and the public.
I will not investigate Ms X’s complaint. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council. The decision to change the opening hours of the library has been fully explained and was made under delegation so there was no requirement for the decision to be decided by councillors. There was also no duty for the Council to consult with residents about the matter. Whilst Ms X disagrees with the Council’s decision, this does not mean it has done anything wrong.
Final decision
We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint because there is insufficient evidence of fault.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman