4 August 2008

Ms P Nunn

Via email ([FOI #1355 email])

Our ref: CS/08/0032/HJP

(Please quote our reference when contacting us)

If telephoning contact Hilary Pook on 020 7217 4734

or if using email send to: [email address]

Dear Ms Nunn

Request for information

You asked in your email of 23 July, out of the cases still on record:

1. What was/is the longest period of time a complainant has had to wait for a remedy promised to an Ombudsman by a council, or recommended by the Ombudsman (as a result of a previous finding of maladministration by an Ombudsman)?

2. What was the reason for the delay?

3. Which Ombudsman/Ombudsmen were involved?

The case where the complainant had to wait the longest time for a remedy, following the issue of an Ombudsman's report finding maladministration that caused injustice to the complainant, was a complaint against Mid Suffolk DC, concerning a planning application for an airfield. The complaint was received on 12 April 1990, the initial report was published in December 1992 and the case was finally closed in October 1998, following the publication of two further reports. The Council never provided the remedy recommended by the Ombudsman. The Council published a statement in the press - the final action the Ombudsman can require of the Council in this situation - in October 1998.

A large part of the delay was due to the Council not agreeing to the level of compensation the Ombudsman had recommended. This is explained in the statement published in the East Anglian Daily Times on 12 October 1998.

The case began with Sir Edward Osmotherly, and was concluded by Jerry White.

The reports and statement are available if required.

/…

That concludes my response and I hope you find the information useful. If you feel I have not dealt properly with your request, you have the right to appeal and, should you wish to do so, I can supply a copy our internal complaints procedure. You also have the right to apply to the Information Commissioner to determine whether your request has been properly dealt with. You should note however that the Commissioner will not consider any complaint where you have not first exhausted our internal complaints process or where there has been undue delay in contacting him. You will be able to obtain further details of the Information Commissioner's role from the website on www.ico.gov.uk.

Yours sincerely

Hilary Pook (Ms)

Communications and Records Manager

LGO 01 (03/08)