Mr N complained about the about the way the Council had handled his concerns regarding a grave for which his brother-in-law sought, and was granted, the Exclusive Right of Burial. Mr N said that this decision should be reversed because the Council had known that it was against the wishes of the rest of his family. Mr N said that communication with the Council had broken down and he was experiencing difficulties receiving a response to his concerns.
The Ombudsman found that a Stage 1 response to Mr N’s complaint was issued promptly, but that it had failed to address the crux of his complaint, which was whether it was reasonable to grant the Exclusive Right of Burial in the context of the ongoing family dispute. We also found a Stage 2 complaint should have been initiated, given Mr N’s continued correspondence expressing his dissatisfaction with the complaint response and apparent delays in responding to his subsequent correspondence.
The Council agreed to apologise Mr N for failing to address his original concern, escalate his complaint to Stage 2, and to provide a further response to his concerns within a reasonable timeframe. It also agreed to offer Mr N £250 in recognition of his time and trouble in pursuing the complaint and to open a Stage 2 investigation, in line with the Council’s complaint procedure.