Mrs X complained that the Community Council failed to act in accordance with the Habitual or Vexatious Complainants Policy (“the policy”) concerning a letter which it issued in March 2022.
The Ombudsman noted, to a large extent, the Community Council had acted in accordance with the policy. However, the Ombudsman was concerned that the letter did not provide more detailed information about the review procedure. The Ombudsman decided to settle the complaint without an investigation having sought and gained the Community Council’s agreement to:
1. Issue Mrs X with an apology regarding its failure to:
· notify her of the review procedure;
· review the ‘habitual or vexatious’ status within 6 months i.e.16 September 2022 as the review took place on 19 October 2022.
· formally notify her of the review decision taken in October 2022.
2. Inform Mrs X of the review decision taken in October 2022.
3. Undertake a review of the ‘habitual or vexatious’ status at least every six months.
The Community Council agreed to implement these actions within 20 working days.