Dr X complained that Denbighshire County Council had not followed their guidance on informal parking appeals and had not responded to his appeal within 28 days.
The Ombudsman found that the Council had not responded to Dr X’s informal appeal within 28 days, nor had they apologised for the delay. The Ombudsman said this had caused uncertainty and frustration for Dr X. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation.
The Ombudsman asked and obtained the Council’s agreement, within 2 weeks, to apologise for the delay in responding within 28 days, and to consider updating the wording on its website/acknowledgment messages to better manage expectations regarding response time periods.