Mr A complained that Monmouthshire County Council (“the Council”) did not provide the bespoke pre-planning application advice service that he paid for. He said that processes were not followed, did not provide the services listed and his correspondence was not responded to, which resulted in delays.
The Ombudsman found that in September and October 2023 the Council did not respond to Mr A’s repeated correspondence, and it did not meet the response times stated in its policy for pre-planning application advice. This maladministration caused inconvenience and frustration. The Council acknowledged this and apologised to Mr A in its response to his formal complaint.
In addition, the Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to offer Mr A, a £350 redress payment, which was the fee paid for the pre-planning application advice service.