Braintree District Council (18 012 050)

Statement Upheld Antisocial behaviour 04-Jul-2019

Summary: The complainants say the Council has not responded properly to their complaints about neighbour nuisance. The Ombudsman finds the Council’s failure to review its approach was fault. This caused an injustice. We have made a recommendation to remedy this and asked the Council to review its processes.

Manchester City Council (19 002 608)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Antisocial behaviour 03-Jul-2019

Summary: Mr X complained about receiving a fixed penalty notice for littering. The Ombudsman cannot investigate this complaint. This is because the penalty was issued for a criminal offence and criminal matters are outside our jurisdiction.

London Borough of Ealing (18 013 075)

Statement Not upheld Antisocial behaviour 24-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about how the Council has dealt with anti-social behaviour on his road caused by fly-tipping, drug dealing and late-night noise. The Ombudsman finds no evidence of fault by the Council in its response to Mr X’s reports. Also, decisions around the deployment of a CCTV camera and where to target most of its street cleaning resources are ones it is entitled to take having considered the alternatives.

West Dorset District Council (18 017 908)

Statement Not upheld Antisocial behaviour 23-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr C complained about the way the Council managed the Community Trigger process for considering a report he made about anti-social behaviour. I have discontinued this complaint, because The Community Trigger process falls under the remit of the Community Safety Partnership (CSP), a multi-agency body. The Ombudsman cannot investigate the actions or decisions of the CSP.

South Kesteven District Council (18 011 512)

Statement Not upheld Antisocial behaviour 21-Jun-2019

Summary: Mrs C complains about the way the Council dealt with her reports of noise and other nuisance from her neighbour which led her to move home with all the associated upset and costs. The Ombudsman has found no evidence of fault by the Council.

St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (18 011 022)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Antisocial behaviour 13-Jun-2019

Summary: Ms B complains about the Council’s handling of noise nuisance complaints made against her by her neighbours. The Ombudsman will not investigate the complaint because there is no evidence of fault by the Council and an investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome.

Rother District Council (18 014 348)

Statement Upheld Antisocial behaviour 13-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has not properly investigated his complaints about noise and odour nuisance and planning irregularities relating to a restaurant next door. He says it has not properly assessed the nuisances and dismissed his planning concerns until he paid for legal advice and a surveyor at his own cost which proved otherwise. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for giving Mr X incorrect information about a breach of planning control and for its failure to deal with the absence of officer properly. This caused significant frustration and put him to the time and trouble of complaining. The Ombudsman recommends the Council should remedy this by apologising and making a financial payment to Mr X.

Surrey County Council (19 001 136)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Antisocial behaviour 11-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr X complained about the Council’s failure to repair his fence after it was damaged by tenants of a neighbouring travellers site. The Ombudsman should not investigate this complaint. This is because there is insufficient evidence of any remaining injustice following the Council’s recent repair work.

Nottingham City Council (18 013 516)

Statement Upheld Antisocial behaviour 05-Jun-2019

Summary: Mr B complains about the actions of the Council after he reported noise disturbance from a neighbouring property. The Ombudsman finds there was fault by the Council in this matter and in its complaint handling. That led to injustice for Mr B for which a remedy has been agreed.

Gedling Borough Council (19 001 178)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Antisocial behaviour 05-Jun-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council responded to the complainant’s report of emissions from his neighbour’s boiler. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.