City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council (19 011 920)

Statement Not upheld Land 27-Mar-2020

Summary: Mrs C says the Council told her she could acquire land to the rear of her house by ‘adverse possession’. She says, as a result of this advice, she built on the land which the Council then sold to her neighbour. She says she incurred expense in building gates and other structures. The Council was not at fault. There is no evidence it gave Mrs C this advice. Its decision to sell the land to her neighbour was in line with its policy.

Pendle Borough Council (19 012 636)

Statement Not upheld Land 27-Mar-2020

Summary: Mr X complained about the way the Council disposed of a piece of greenspace land. Mr X said the loss has been detrimental to himself and other local people. There was no fault in the Council’s actions.

Hampshire County Council (19 002 753)

Statement Upheld Land 23-Mar-2020

Summary: The Council agreed to deal exclusively with Mr X when he was buying a house from it. Mr X then spent £2,000 on searches and a survey. The Council received a higher offer and withdrew from the sale to Mr X. The Council will repay Mr X the £2,000 and pay him £250 for his time and trouble.

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (19 018 511)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 19-Mar-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about the way the Council maintained the hedge behind his property. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council so an investigation is not warranted.

Thanet District Council (19 007 102)

Statement Upheld Land 17-Mar-2020

Summary: There was fault by the Council in its handling of a property matter. The Council will apologise and do the legal property work at a reduced fee to remedy the injustice caused.

Isle of Wight Council (19 017 578)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 09-Mar-2020

Summary: Mr B complains the Council has refused to take legal ownership of trees which are causing a nuisance to his garden. The Ombudsman will not investigate the complaint because the courts are best placed to determine the matter.

Ribble Valley Borough Council (19 017 382)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 05-Mar-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about how the Council dealt with a planning permission from a nearby property. A neighbour sought permission to develop on part of an access road serving their property, and Ms X’s. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons for the Ombudsman to investigate it now. The ownership of the access land was not a material planning matter for the Council and is a private civil matter. There is not enough evidence of fault by the Council in the way it dealt with the planning applications to warrant an Ombudsman investigation.

Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council (19 015 713)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 18-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council declined to turn the Council land opposite his house into a car park. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault in how the Council reached its decision.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council (19 016 634)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 15-Feb-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about encroachment onto her land by a property developer. This is because her complaint concerns a boundary dispute. This is a private civil matter between Ms X and the property developer as the owner of the neighbouring land. It is not for the Council to investigate the property developer’s actions, and so there is not enough evidence of fault to warrant an investigation.

London Borough of Croydon (19 011 413)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Land 12-Feb-2020

Summary: This complaint is outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction. A judicial review against the Council was commenced on matters complained about, the highway status of a piece of land and its associated rights of way.