Warrington Council (20 004 941)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 11-Dec-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s actions concerning the property next door to his home. The Ombudsman will not investigate this complaint. It is unlikely that further investigation will lead to a different outcome.

Southampton City Council (19 013 844)

Statement Upheld Other 10-Dec-2020

Summary: Mr X complains the Council has failed to take appropriate or timely enforcement action in relation to breaches of planning control and noise nuisance from a site opposite his home. The Council’s failure to properly investigate Mr X’s concerns about noise nuisance and unauthorised use of the site amounts to fault. This fault has caused Mr X an injustice.

Plymouth City Council (20 003 840)

Statement Upheld Other 08-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council for not completing maintenance on a verge subject to a Section 38 agreement. The Ombudsman also finds fault with the Council for not providing clear information about its responsibility for the area. Mr A has had to spend unnecessary time and trouble pursing this. The Council has agreed to carry out the actions identified in its stage two response, apologise to Mr A, and make a payment to him for his time and trouble.

Brighton & Hove City Council (20 000 974)

Statement Upheld Other 07-Dec-2020

Summary: Mr X complains about the Council’s decision not to issue a community protection notice (CPN) against the owner of a dog who Mr X says has attacked his dog, and him, several times. The Ombudsman finds fault with the Council as it applied the wrong thresholds when considering whether to issue a CPN. We have made recommendations.

Essex County Council (19 016 789)

Statement Upheld Other 04-Dec-2020

Summary: The Council failed to engage adequately with local people about emerging flood management works that Mr X says will cause disruption and a loss of green space near his home. The lack of early public engagement is unlikely to have affected the Council’s flood management decision. However, the Council agreed to apologise to Mr X for denying him an early opportunity to comment on the emerging proposals. The Council also agreed to review its approach to early public engagement for flood management works.

Luton Borough Council (20 007 365)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 03-Dec-2020

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council’s officer stole a mobile phone from his home. Mr X says the officer then broke into the property to return it and that the Council did not write to him about the matter. Allegations of crime are a matter for the police. There is no reason to investigate the Council’s communication with Mr X.

Lincolnshire County Council (20 005 948)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 02-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s investigation of an incident of food contamination at a restaurant. We are unlikely to find fault in the Council’s investigation and further investigation is unlikely to lead to a different outcome. The Council has apologised for failing to communicate with Mrs X as it should have done. I consider this is a suitable remedy to this part of the complaint. Finally, we cannot achieve the outcome Mrs X is seeking. Issues of negligence and claims for compensation are matters for the courts and cannot be determined by the Ombudsman.

London Borough of Newham (20 006 169)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 02-Dec-2020

Summary: The Ombudsman will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council has responded to a report of Japanese knotweed / giant hogweed on its land. This is because we cannot consider complaints about a council when it is acting as a registered social housing provider.

Durham County Council (19 013 133)

Statement Not upheld Other 01-Dec-2020

Summary: Mr X complains the Council was at fault in the way it responded to his complaints of nuisance caused by a nearby pig farm. We have found no evidence of fault in the way the Council considered these matters so have completed our investigation.

Environment Agency (20 006 298)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 01-Dec-2020

Summary: Mr X complained about the Environment Agency’s installation of drainage pipes on his farmland in 2014. The Ombudsman should not exercise discretion to investigate this complaint which was received outside the normal 12-month period for receiving complaints.