City of Doncaster Council (23 017 049)
Category : Other Categories > Land
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 04 Mar 2024
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the sale of land near to his property in 2014. The complaint is late.
The complaint
- Mr X complains about the sale of land by the Council in 2014 and the loss of alleged access rights over the land.
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 has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)
How I considered this complaint
- I considered information provided by the complainant.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- The land in question was sold by the Council ten years ago in 2014. Mr X was aware of the issue and he could have come to us at that time. I can see no good reason why I should exercise my discretion and investigate now.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman