A couple who fought for compensation for twenty years have been awarded compensation totalling £200,000 from the Local Government and Parliamentary Ombudsmen, after Norfolk County Council and the Department of Transport were found to be guilty of maladministration. The decision revolved around a 1986 decision to build a bypass in Wroxham, Norfolk, which would pass within 20 feet of the Maurice and Audrey Balchin’s home. The Council refused to purchase the house and plans for the bypass were dropped in the 1990s. However, the couple’s finances were devastated by the Council’s initial decision, which meant that when they sold their house in 1988, they realised far less than it was worth.
The Local Government Ombudsman concluded that the council could not reasonably have refused to buy the house and the couple were entitled to compensation.
Twenty Years to Gain Compensation
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