Mr X complained that Caerphilly County Borough Council had failed to respond to his complaint about a delayed death certificate, submitted to it in August 2024.
The Ombudsman concluded that the Council had failed to log and respond to Mr X’s complaint in line with its complaints process. It had also failed to signpost Mr X to the Coroner’s Office to pursue his complaint. The Ombudsman said this caused uncertainty, frustration, and inconvenience to Mr X. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman sought and gained the Council’s agreement to apologise for the oversight, delay and inconvenience caused, issue its complaint response, and signpost Mr X to the Coroner’s Office complaint department to pursue his complaint, within 3 weeks.