Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council (19 001 073)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 03-Jun-2019

Summary: Ms X complains about Council restrictions on the permitted lay out of her son’s grave within one of its cemeteries. 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.

Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council (19 000 644)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 31-May-2019

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s policy to allow dogs on leads in one of its local cemeteries. The Ombudsman will not investigate this matter. This is because we are unlikely to find fault in the Council’s actions. And we do not consider that Mr X has suffered a significant personal injustice which warrants our involvement.

Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council (18 014 569)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 28-May-2019

Summary: Mr B complains that the Council has lost records relating to his purchases of memorial items installed at a cemetery, meaning he cannot prove ownership of them. He also complains that the items were substandard and that the Council offered poor levels of customer care. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. This is because it is unlikely further investigation would lead to a different outcome.

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (19 000 077)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 28-May-2019

Summary: Miss X complains the Council failed to make her aware she would have to pay a fee for a kerbset memorial. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint because the Council has made some improvements to the information it now supplies. There is not enough injustice to Miss X from any original ambiguity in its information to warrant investigation.

East Hampshire District Council (19 000 550)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 28-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s decision not to allow the complainant to install a slab on a grave. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council (19 000 212)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 21-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint the Council will no longer allow her to place personal memorabilia on the vaults of her mother, father and daughter. Further consideration of the complaint is unlikely to find fault by the Council.

Daventry District Council (18 007 525)

Statement Not upheld Cemeteries and crematoria 15-May-2019

Summary: Mrs X complained the Council encroached on her son’s grave when digging an adjacent grave and did not respond sensitively to her complaint about this. The Council was not at fault.

Bath and North East Somerset Council (18 013 817)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Cemeteries and crematoria 09-May-2019

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs B’s complaint the Council charges higher burial fees to non-residents. Further consideration of the complaint is unlikely to find fault by the Council.

Waveney District Council (18 017 149)

Statement Upheld Cemeteries and crematoria 03-May-2019

Summary: Mrs X complained about a Service Provider, working on behalf of the Council. She said it took a year for it to action her request for a commemorative plaque following the death of her Aunt. The Service Provider failed to respond to Mrs X’s request in a timely manner. This caused Mrs X avoidable distress as well as significant time and trouble. The Council has agreed to remedy the injustice caused by the Service Provider’s actions.