London Borough of Southwark (25 011 950)

Statement Upheld Planning applications 12-May-2026

Summary: Ms X complained the Council did not follow the correct procedure when granting planning permission. We found the Council at fault for how it considered Ms X’s objections, as the officer’s report was too brief and her supporting photos were not included. This caused Ms X frustration and uncertainty. The Council has proposed actions to remedy this, which we consider proportionate.

Oxford City Council (25 015 763)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Other 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s delay in responding to Mr X and its complaint handling. This is because there is not significant enough injustice to warrant investigation.

Hertsmere Borough Council (25 016 980)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council granting planning permission for a garden structure near the complainant’s home. There is insufficient evidence that fault has affected the planning application outcome.

Three Rivers District Council (25 018 063)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Enforcement 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s granting planning permission for his neighbour’s extension, its decision not to take enforcement action, and how it dealt with his complaint. There is not enough evidence of Council fault in its enforcement decision process to warrant an investigation. There is insufficient evidence of injustice to Mr X to justify us investigating. We do not investigate complaint handling where we are not investigating the substantive matter.

Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (25 018 568)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Enforcement 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of planning enforcement because there is insufficient evidence of fault in its actions to warrant an investigation by the Ombudsman. Mr Y has also not suffered significant injustice.

North Yorkshire Council (25 020 269)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning advice 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of Mrs Y’s planning application or how it dealt with a breach of planning control. This is because she could have appealed to the Planning Inspectorate and it is reasonable to have expected her to have done this.

Stafford Borough Council (25 020 860)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s communication of information during the consideration of an outline planning application. There is not enough evidence of personal injustice to Mr X to warrant investigation.

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council (25 021 558)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about how the Council considered his planning application. It would have been reasonable to expect Mr X to have used his right of appeal to the Planning Inspector.

Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council (25 029 517)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 12-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about a planning application and possible breaches of planning control. This is because part of the complaint is late and there are no good reasons to exercise discretion to investigate it now. There is also not enough evidence of fault to justify investigating. It is not yet possible to say if Mr X has suffered significant injustice because of any fault with the Council’s ongoing enforcement investigation.

Stroud District Council (25 014 557)

Statement Closed after initial enquiries Planning applications 11-May-2026

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of reports of alleged breaches of planning control. This is because there is not enough evidence the Council is at fault to justify an investigation.