'There were unacceptable delays' - Shropshire Council apologises for how it handled complaint
A watchdog has ruled that Shropshire Council failed in the way it handled a customer’s complaint regarding building inspections at his home.
Named as Mr F, the customer said the council undertook inadequate inspections of an extension under construction at his home, and there delays after he complained.
In September 2021, Mr F’s building submitted a Building Notice application, and was named as an agent.
Shropshire Council carried out three key stage inspections. In August and November 2022, it inspected works associated with the foundations of the build, before inspecting roof trusses the following February.
The inspector was satisfied with the work so far, and said it could continue. The notes do not say if the building had failed to fit lateral restraint straps to the roof. In May 2023, the building inspector attended at Mr F’s request to inspect the ground floor preparations.
The inspector arranged for Mr F’s builder to be present too. Mr F says his builder had not allowed enough space to fit underfloor heating and the slab levels were at different heights. The inspector recorded having a discussion “to allow a consistent floor to be achieved” and that work could continue.
By July 2023, the builder had left the job and Mr F contacted the council to say he had re-laid the floor. Around the same time, he sought technical advice from a surveyor who identified multiple defects with the build.
In August 2023, Mr F contacted the council asking to visit the site again. A manager from the building control service attended with a different inspector.
The manager’s notes identified “concerns” with the build, including “the roof design with new trusses.”
A further site visit followed in November 2023. Here, the service manager said the discussion focused on “moving forward” to ensure compliance and remedial work to be completed. At this meeting, the council said it would not charge Mr F for any further fees for inspections.
Mr F first complained to Shropshire Council in September 2023. His complaint was:
Its building inspector had wrongly asked him to “compromise” when he raised concerns about the floor levels laid by his builder at the May 2023 inspection
The same Inspector had failed to identify the multiple defects with the building work identified by Mr F’s surveyor and at the August 2023 site visit
The council had failed to confirm in writing whether the concerns identified at the August 2023 site visit meant the building work failed to comply with building regulations
In November 2023, Mr F made a second complaint as his previous one was not answered. When another complaint was made the following month, the council said it had closed both cases. However, Mr F said he had not had a reply to either of his earlier complaints before the council took action.
Mr F therefore took his complaint further and contacted the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGO).
The Ombudsman did not find the council at fault for its inspections. However, it was fault for poor complaint handling.
“This caused Mr F unnecessary time and trouble, which we consider an injustice,” said the Ombudsman.
“The council agreed to apologise to Mr F. We considered this provided a fair remedy to the complaint, taking account also of an earlier commitment the council gave not to charge Mr F for additional building inspections required.”
A Shropshire Council spokesperson said: “Our duty in carrying out the building control function is to ensure that buildings are safe for those that use or live around them. We are pleased that the Ombudsman recognised that there was no fault in the way that our building control officers oversaw this development.
“The Ombudsman found fault with the way in which the complaint was handled, there were unacceptable delays in responding and addressing the issues raised. We have issued an apology to the complainant for their time and trouble in raising the complaint and for any frustration and inconvenience caused.
“We take any findings by the Ombudsman seriously and have reflected on the lessons learned in improving our communications so that our responses are timely, accurate and comprehensive. “
