136 annual report 2011 20-7. Flexible job scheme employee dismissed without inclusion of the Social Chapter As a result of cutbacks a woman was dismissed from a flexible job at an institution run by the local authority. The Ombudsman criticised that the local authority had not included its duties pursuant to the framework agreement on the Social Chapter in its decision to dismiss the woman. The Ombudsman stated that the framework agreement presumably meant that the local authority had an increased obligation to try to find the woman another position. In the Ombudsman’s opinion, the local authority had neither documented that it had been impossible to find the woman another position nor that the local authority had made any real effort to do so. In addition, the Ombudsman criticised the local authority for not giving the woman adequate grounds for her dismissal, neither when she was consulted as a party nor in the local authority’s subsequent decision. Furthermore, the local authority had not observed the rules on the consultation of parties to cases or on the duty to take notes. On this basis the Ombudsman asked the local authority to reopen the case. (Case No. 2010-1951-8133) 20-8. L  ocal authority’s case processing time In a case concerning an inspection of a private communal road, a citizen complained to the Ombudsman about the local authority’s case processing time. From the first time the citizen contacted the local authority until the local authority submitted a statement to the Ombudsman, a period of over two years and seven months had elapsed without any processing steps being taken in the case. The Ombudsman stated that this left the impression that the case had been forgotten by the local authority, and in his opinion the case processing by the local authority was a matter for severe criticism. The Ombudsman also found it regrettable that the local authority had not replied to reminders and to a request from the Road Directorate for comments, and that the local authority had not provided any information about the case processing time on its own initiative.