The Ombudsman's final decision
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to provide sufficient signage warning him about a road closure. This is because the complaint is late.
The complaint
Mr X complains, in June 2023, the Council failed to provide suitable signage that warned him about a road closure, which he says is against Department for Transport statutory guidance. He says this caused a delay to his journey of over half an hour.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
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 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
In July 2023, Mr X complained to the Council that, in June, he experienced a delay of over thirty minutes because a road closure was poorly signposted. The Council put Mr X’s complaint on hold because Mr X wished to gather information from it to make a full complaint.
In August 2024, Mr X complained again to the Council after making various requests for information.
This complaint is late because Mr X did not complain to the Ombudsman until May 2025. There are no good reasons to exercise discretion. Mr X could have complained to us much sooner if he wished for us to consider his complaint.
Final decision
We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council failed to provide sufficient signage warning him about a road closure. This is because the complaint is late.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman