Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to properly consider the comments of a parish council in relation to a planning application. We cannot investigate complaints by parish councils which are authorities constituted for the purposes of public service and not individual complainants.

The complaint

1. Ms X complained as Chair of a parish council about the Council’s failure to properly consider its comments on a planning application which it determined.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. We cannot investigate complaints from public bodies. (Local Government Act 1974, section 27(1)(a), as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

3. I considered information provided by the complainant.
4. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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My assessment

5. Ms X is Chair of a parish council which she was not given proper consideration when the Council decided a planning application. She says the Council failed to publish the comments which the parish council submitted and that it only later added them when the error was pointed out. She is concerned that the Council’s interaction with the parish council on planning matters does not function properly. The Council says this incident was a one-off error and it had no bearing on the outcome of the decision process.
6. We cannot investigate complaints made by public bodies such as parish and town councils.

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Final decision

7. We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to properly consider the comments of a parish council in relation to a planning application. We cannot investigate complaints by parish councils which are authorities constituted for the purposes of public service and not individual complainants.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman