The handling of a feud between neighbours over a garden office was among the complaints against York Council probed by a national watchdog.
The council was told to apologise to the resident for giving them incorrect planning advice after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) upheld the complaint.
It was one of eight upheld out of nine the watchdog investigated in 2025/6.
It was one of eight upheld out of nine the watchdog investigated in 2025/6.
A council spokesperson said they took all complaints seriously and were committed to learning from feedback to improve services for residents.
Complaints covered all council services including housing, adult social care and those for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
In York, an unidentified resident contacted the watchdog in 2025 about a planning inquiry they made with the council in 2024.
They had asked the council if their neighbour needed planning permission to build a structure in their garden to use as a home office.
Council officials incorrectly told the complainant the neighbour could build it without planning permission as it was classed as permitted development.
But the office was 10cm higher than permitted development limits and the neighbour went ahead and built it without planning permission.
Enforcement action was ruled out by the council due to the location and impact of the building.
The complainant said the office led to a loss of privacy and light for them.
The ombudsman upheld the complaint because the incorrect advice meant the complainant could not object through the planning system.
Planning delays
Upheld complaints also included one relating to significant delays in the planning system leading to a household’s retrospective application to regularise breaches being decided a year later than expected.
The ombudsman found in favour of a neighbour who complained, saying it caused them stress and uncertainty.
Another ruling found the council failed to reimburse a mother for fees to send their child to an independent school as part of their education, health and care plan (EHCP).
Other complaints related to council delays in passing on information about the death of a complainant’s father.
Failures were also found in the council not explaining the cost of a complainant’s mother’s extended stay in a care home.
The council complied with all the ombudsman’s recommendations in cases where complaints were upheld.
A total of 41 complaints against the council were dealt with by the watchdog.
The ombudsman deemed that 10 were not for them to deal with while 22 were assessed and closed without an investigation.
The council’s spokesperson said the ombudsman’s figures showed they were improving year-on-year, with fewer complaints upheld compared to other similar authorities.
The spokesperson said: “Where issues are identified, we work to address them promptly, implement any recommendations made, and use the learning to help strengthen our processes and customer experience.
“While the vast majority of complaints to the council are resolved without ombudsman involvement, we welcome independent scrutiny and remain focused on delivering high quality services for the people of York.”
Figures for the number of complaints against City of York Council which were investigated come as part of the LGSCO’s yearly summary of its work nationally.
The ombudsman saw a year-on-year rise of 33 per cent in the number of complaints it dealt with nationally to 27,625.
It is the sharpest increase in a decade according to the watchdog.
