Mr X complained about drainage difficulties and flooding at his home, which appeared to result from building works undertaken at a nearby development site following planning permission being granted by the Council.
The Ombudsman found that there had been some delay by the council in deciding which department was responsible for dealing with his complaint and that a response had not been provided in accordance with its complaints policy. The Council were considering enforcement steps to address the issues.
The Ombudsman sought and obtained the Council’s agreement to , within 20 working days, provide Mr X with a Stage 1 complaint response addressing the concerns raised, to include details of the Councils complaints procedure and outlining the right to escalate to stage 2 of the procedure, together with an apology for the failure to consider the complaint in accordance with the Council’s Complaint Policy. The Council also agreed to provide Mr X with details of the enforcement action that has been taken or is being considered by the Council.