Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council’s pre-planning application advice. The complaint is late and there are no good reasons to investigate it now.

The complaint

1. Mr X complains about the Council’s pre-planning application advice and decisions of 2014, 2022 and October 2023. He says its pre-planning advice was misleading.

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The Ombudsman’s role and powers

2. The Local Government Act 1974 sets out our powers but also imposes restrictions on what we can investigate.
3. We cannot investigate late complaints unless we decide there are good reasons. Late complaints are when someone takes more than 12 months to complain to us about something a council has done. (Local Government Act 1974, sections 26B and 34D, as amended)

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How I considered this complaint

4. I considered information provided by the complainant and the Council.
5. I considered the Ombudsman’s Assessment Code.

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Final decision

6. We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint because it is late and there are no good reasons to disapply the time limit.

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Investigator's decision on behalf of the Ombudsman