Barnsley Council rapped by Ombudsman after “failing to publish key” planning documents

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found Barnsley Council “failed to publish key documents”, which “caused confusion and frustration” for the complainant, known as Mr X.

Mr X complained that the council had “failed to ensure that an earth bund to protect his home and others from surface water flooding, was effective for its intended purpose.”

Mr X said the bund was part of a scheme for housing development approved on land on the hillside above his home, and that his garden flooded with water from the site during heavy rainfall during the summer of 2019.

The ombusdman’s investigator could not find a committee report that included details of the council’s consideration of drainage issues on the Lidgett Lane site on the authority’s website.

The investigator found “no fault” in the council’s decision to approve the development, but found “evidence of fault in the way the council keeps and publishes its planning records.”

A report by the investigator added that the “failure to publish key documents” caused “confusion and frustration” for Mr X.

The council will now “review the process followed” in addressing the complaint, and pay Mr X £150 for his “time and trouble in coming to the Ombudsman”.

Councillor Tim Cheetham, cabinet spokesperson for regeneration and culture, said: “We note that the Ombudsman found no fault in terms of how we considered the complaint about surface water run-off and can confirm that all relevant documentation was provided to the complainant by e-mail.

“However, not all those documents had been uploaded to our website. Therefore, we have accepted the Ombudsman’s findings, apologised to the complainant, and have since uploaded all such documentation to our website.”