Leicester City Council (25 022 583)
Category : Planning > Enforcement
Decision : Closed after initial enquiries
Decision date : 14 May 2026
The Ombudsman's final decision:
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s failure to take further enforcement action against a property in breach of an enforcement notice. The complaint is late, and there are no good reasons Mr X could not have complained to us sooner.
The complaint
- Mr X complained the Council failed to take further enforcement action against a property in breach of an existing enforcement notice.
- Mr X said this impacted his ability to enjoy his home.
The Ombudsman’s role and powers
- The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
- 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
- The Council issued an enforcement notice to a property owner close to Mr X’s home in September 2023.
- The available evidence suggests Mr X contacted the Council in January, February and March 2024. This was to inform the Council the property owner had not complied with the enforcement notice.
- We normally expect people to complain to us within 12 months of them becoming aware of a problem. Mr X made his complaint to the Council in February 2025, after being aware of the issue in January 2024. However, his complaint to the Ombudsman was made in December 2025.
- We look at each complaint individually, and on its merits, considering the circumstances of each case. We do not exercise discretion to accept a late complaint unless there are good reasons to do so. I have considered whether to exercise our discretion to investigate the complaint, but I have seen no good reasons to do so.
Final decision
- We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and it would have been reasonable for her to have complained to us sooner.
Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman