LGO Individual Decisions

Summary: Mr X complained the Council has failed to properly investigate or take appropriate action in relation to breaches of planning control at a neighbouring property which has led to significant overlooking of his property. We found there was no evidence of fault in the way the Council has responded to the breaches of planning control. However there have been periods of delay and poor communication with Mr X which amount to fault. This fault has caused Mr X an injustice.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council serving a community protection order for causing fear and injury in the community. Miss X says the Council failed to consider her mental health vulnerability and that she was not given assistance in how to appeal the notice.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council’s handling and consideration of her neighbour’s planning application. This is because there is not enough evidence of fault in the Council’s actions to justify investigating.

Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about a demolition order in 2016/17. This is because the complainant appealed to the tribunal. In addition, this is a late complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about alleged disability discrimination during the Council’s handling of his council tax complaint. There is insufficient outstanding injustice to warrant an investigation. If Mr X considers the Council has breached the Equality Act, this is better considered by a court.

Summary: We will not investigate Mr B’s complaint about missed garden waste collections. This is because Mr B has not suffered a serious or significant injustice which would justify an investigation by the Ombudsman.

Summary: We cannot investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s handling of his housing benefit claims. This is because the matter is already subject to tribunal proceedings and there is no evidence of injustice to justify an investigation.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about the Council’s lack of action to ensure her son, Mr Y, had a care package in place to enable him to accept a housing offer. This is because there is insufficient injustice to justify our involvement.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about road maintenance because the complaint is late without good reason to exercise discretion to investigate it now, we cannot achieve the outcome Mr Y is seeking and the courts are better placed to consider the complaint.

Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council requiring her and fellow flat tenants to pay for an additional communal waste bin. The Council says its adopted policy allows it to charge. Even if there has been Council fault, the injustice to Mrs X and other tenants is not sufficiently significant to warrant us investigating. We also cannot achieve the outcome Mrs X wants.

Summary: The Ombudsmen find fault with the Council for its repairs handling, delay adapting Mr Y’s bathroom, delay in dealing with the complaint Miss X made on his behalf, and for poor communication with Mr Y and Miss X throughout. The Council has agreed to apologise, make payments to Mr Y and Miss X, and act to improve its services.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s pursuit of a project which the complainant says was bound to fail. The financial cost to the Council is something which affects all residents and is therefore outside our jurisdiction. Also, we do not consider the complainant has suffered a significant personal injustice which warrants our involvement. Finally, it is reasonable to expect the complainant to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office with his concerns about the Council’s refusal to provide information he requested.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about information a Council officer provided to the Licencing Committee. This is because further investigation would not lead to a different outcome.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about problems which occurred during the burial of the complainant’s mother. This is because we could not add anything to the Council’s response or achieve anything more.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council dealt with a planning application. This is because we are unlikely to find fault.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s failure to process a change of circumstance relating to council tax which resulted in the complainant being contacted by bailiffs. This is because the Council has agreed to pay £150 to the complainant.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the way the Council investigated reports of noise. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault by the Council.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about works the Council carried out at a cemetery because there is no evidence of fault on the Council’s part.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about how the Council calculated Mr X’s council tax support. That is because it is reasonable for Mr X to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal. There is insufficient evidence of fault to justify our investigating in respect to his other complaints.

Summary: Mr B complained the Council went back on an undertaking given in 2019. He said the Council agreed to award him band A priority for housing in a property with at least two bedrooms. But the Council then changed that to only one bedroom even though his circumstances had not changed. He also complained the Council had not properly considered his medical needs when assessing his priority for housing. There was fault which caused injustice to Mr B

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about missed bin collections during industrial strike action. This is because the complaint does not meet the tests in our Assessment Code on how we decide which complaints to investigate. We cannot investigate complaints which affect all or most people in the Council’s area, and we cannot achieve the outcome the complainant is seeking.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the handling of Ms X’s housing matters. It is unlikely we could find enough evidence of fault in what happened when Ms X accepted her current property (if Adur District Council was involved then). Also, the Council properly reached its recent decision not to let Ms X join the housing register.

Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about two Fixed Penalty Notices issued to the complainant for dog fouling. This is because a complaint to us is not a method to achieve the outcomes she is seeking.

Summary: We will not investigate Ms B’s complaint about an Improvement Notice. This is because it was reasonable for Ms B to use her right of appeal to the tribunal. An investigation solely into Ms B’s complaint about officer conduct is not justified.

Summary: Mr X complained the Council delayed taking action regarding reports of alleged anti-social behaviour by his neighbour. He says this caused avoidable stress to him and his wife. We found fault by the Council in this matter. The Council agreed to apologise to Mr X and make a payment to recognise the injustice identified.