Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a planning application. This is because Mrs X is complaining on behalf of a Parish Council and not as a member of the public.

The complaint

1. Mrs X has complained on behalf of a Parish Council about how the Council’s planning department dealt with an application for a local development. Mrs X says the Council failed to follow due process.

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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 complaints from public bodies. (Local Government Act 1974, section 27(1)(a), as amended)
4. We can only accept complaints from members of the public who claim to have suffered injustice, or from their authorised representative. This means we cannot accept complaints from councillors complaining on behalf of their council because they are not doing so as a member of the public. (Local Government Act 1974, section 26A, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

5. I considered information provided by Mrs X and the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint because we can only accept complaints from members of the public or their authorised representatives. Mrs X is not complaining as a member of the public and is instead complaining on behalf of a Parish Council.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman