Peterborough City Council (25 024 764)
Category : Other Categories > Land
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 26 Jul 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to sell him a piece of land. The complaint is late and there is not a good reason why he could not have come to us sooner.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council:
- wrongly refused his request to purchase a piece of land;
- failed to provide adequate reasoning for its refusal; and
- delayed in communicating with him.
- Mr X said this caused significant emotional distress. He wanted the Council to reconsider its decision regarding the purchase of land and acknowledge the alleged errors in its original decision.
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 and the Council.
- I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.
My assessment
- Mr X complained to the Council regarding the matters in paragraph one. The Council considered Mr X’s complaint and sent him its final response in October 2024, signposting him to the Ombudsman.
- Whilst the exact date that Mr X became aware of the Council’s decision not to sell the land to him is unclear, it was earlier than October 2024, when the Council sent him its final response.
- Mr X continued to correspond with the Council and raised a further complaint relating to the same matters.
- Mr X brought his complaint to us in January 2026, a further 15 months after the Council had issued a final response.
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late, and there is not a good reason why he could not have come to us sooner.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s refusal to sell him a piece of land. The complaint is late and there is no good reason why he could not have come to us sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman