Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of a pre-planning application advice request. The matter complained about occurred over a decade ago, and it is reasonable to expect the complainant to have contacted us sooner.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s handling of his pre-planning application advice request.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. 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)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by Mr X and the Council, as well as the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. The time restriction detailed in paragraph 3 above applies to Mr X’s complaint. This is because the pre-planning application advice meeting occurred in 2013, with a subsequent planning application determined in 2014. If Mr X was unhappy with the Council’s handling of his advice request, I see no good reasons why he was prevented from contacting us sooner. The Ombudsman will therefore not investigate his complaint.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is reasonable to expect him to have complained to us sooner.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman