Referring to the Local Government Ombudsman and Information Commissioners Office
There may be exceptional circumstances where the relationship between the Council and a customer has broken down to a point where a local resolution is not possible. In these cases we may seek to close the case without completing all stages of our complaints policy, or we may expedite the case to the final stage. If it becomes necessary, we will advise the customer of the reasons for this and the options open to them.
Similarly, we may also liaise with the Ombudsman or Information Commission and ask them to consider the case before it has exhausted our complaints/FOI process. It will be entirely at the discretion of the Ombudsman or Information Commission whether or not they accept the referral.