Mr A complained about the adequacy of the Council’s response in relation to concerns that he had raised about illegal burning at the Traveller site managed by the Council. He also raised concerns about the Council’s handling of his complaint and set out the reasons why he was unhappy with some of the Council’s responses.
The Ombudsman was critical of the Council’s shortcomings in its complaint handling and the lack of effective communication with Mr A. The Ombudsman was also of the view that a detailed and timely complaint response might have prevented Mr A having to contact this office for further clarification As part of an early resolution the Council agreed to write to Mr A and apologise again for the shortcomings in communications and complaint handling. It would also address why fires taking place beyond the boundary of the Travellers’ site are outside the scope of the Council’s contractual agreement. The Council also agreed to review its complaint handling and communication in Mr A’s case, as part of wider learning, and share any lessons learned with this office.