Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

We’ve released our complaints statistics for all authorities in England for 2022-23. These statistics shed light on key areas of people's lives and confirm the experiences they face in education, elderly care, and housing. We understand the financial challenges faced by councils, but now, more than ever, it is essential for them to prioritise the basics and invest in their complaints systems. By doing so, they can capitalise on the valuable learning opportunities that arise from effective complaints handling. Our data shows that providing quality education for our children, ensuring proper care for our elderly relatives, and providing safe and comfortable homes for those who face homelessness are key priorities for people across the country. We encourage authorities to use our data to drive positive change and improvement in these critical areas of people's lives. By addressing the challenges, investing wisely, and leveraging the power of complaints handling, we can create a brighter future for everyone.

Great to see use of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman ‘s data and findings featured in the final DLUHC statutory guidance on Best Value standards. We were one of 70 organisations to respond to the consultation, making the point that effective complaints management is part of a high performing council and that Ombudsman data can be an important early warning indicator. https://lnkd.in/eC23GdEd

We have launched a Complaint Handling Code which will result in better services to the public and make good practice in complaint handling clearer for local authorities. The Code is aligned with the Housing Ombudsman’s Code for landlords. The Complaint Handling Codes are an update of the existing Housing Ombudsman Code and our Good Practice Guidance. They make good complaint handling easier for local authorities and landlords, while setting clear expectations for the public. The Codes are based on unified principles and share many of the same approaches in key areas like response times. This approach follows that of the Scottish and Northern Irish Public Services Ombudsmen who have model procedures for different services under a set of unified principles. We intend to work with a group of pilot councils throughout 2024/25 to understand the impact of the Code on local complaints handling and services. This will allow us to produce accompanying good practice guidance to support other local councils to successfully adopt the Code. We will start to consider the Code as part of our casework from April 2026. This gives councils two years to adopt the Code into local complaint policies and procedures. In the meantime, we continue to expect councils to deal with complaints in line with their own local policies and procedures when considering complaints.

There’s still time to respond to the consultation on our Complaint Handling Code before it closes on 23 November. We are proposing to issue the Code in partnership with the Housing Ombudsman to provide a single standard of complaint handling across the local government and social housing sector. For more information on the Code and consultation please visit our website https://lnkd.in/eqPwppNj

Today we launch our consultation on a Complaint Handling Code for all local councils in England with the Housing Ombudsman. Given some councils are within both our jurisdictions, we have partnered to make the Code the single gold standard for complaint handling in the local government sector. We believe a joint Code will make it easier for local people to hold councils and social landlords to account and for those organisations to have confidence that they are employing best practice. It will also align complaints about housing management, which is already subject to the Code through the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, with other services delivered by local councils. Members of the public can respond to the consultation through a link on our website and we have provided all local councils in England with details of how to respond. The website contains a copy of the Code as well as copies of consultation questions and more information about how we intend to apply the Code in future. #complaints #localgovernment #localcouncils

Amerdeep Somal has been named as the preferred candidate for the role of the permanent Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, taking up the position in January 2024 from the current interim Ombudsman Paul Najsarek. The provisional appointment will be reviewed by the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee in September and confirmed by Royal Warrant later this year. Amerdeep brings a wealth of professional experience to the role as the current Financial Regulators Complaints Commissioner and the Chief Commissioner at the Data and Marketing Commission. She is also a Judge of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and a former founding Commissioner of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Ms.Somal is the incoming Board Chair of the Law Society, a role she will take on in January 2024 alongside her position as Ombudsman, and is a current Board member for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Amerdeep said: “I am delighted to be taking on this hugely important role and the leadership of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman organisation, which has extensive influence on the quality of council services and social care across the country. “The Ombudsman has a vital role both in ensuring that individual complaints are investigated – and wrongdoing put right – and in being a central part of the wider system that brings about fundamental change and improvement in these essential services. I look forward to taking on the Ombudsman position which helps to improve the quality of life for so many people, including some of society’s most vulnerable.” Paul Najsarek, the current interim Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, will remain in post as Ombudsman and Chair of the Commission for Local Administration in England (the board that runs the LGSCO) until January 2024.

✍️NEW: We have a new guest blog from Michael Hyatt, Professional Practice Lead, at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman- on the topic of ‘Complaints – a window into their role in good corporate governance and as the driver for improvement’. A really interesting read! For the full blog, follow this link ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/eBSjTqAt

Local councils are not doing enough to help victims of anti-social behaviour. Our report issued today, reveals we have upheld nearly three-quarters (74%) of the cases we investigated about anti-social behaviour in the past year. Cases range from low-level issues such as dog fouling and inconsiderate parking to more serious sustained harassment and intimidation. The issues identified in the report include delays in local councils responding to residents’ calls for help or acting on evidence presented to them, failing to bring in other agencies such as the police – or believing such matters are purely for the police. We have even found councils gatekeeping access to services by telling people they will not act unless fixed conditions are met, potentially leaving people to suffer unduly. In one case, a man reported a disturbance from the loud music of a neighbour’s 13-hour party and the council told him it would only look into matters once he recorded six incidents within 25 days. The report highlights several key case studies the LGSCO has investigated, complete with learning points for councils on how they can improve their services. Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “Antisocial behaviour can blight our communities and have a significant impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. But all too often in our investigations we find councils not thinking hard enough about how they can step in to help. “Councils in partnership with other agencies, when using their powers to the full, can have a profound effect on people’s quality of life – both in terms of taking action against perpetrators and providing support to victims. “I urge leaders to read this report and reflect on their services to ensure they fully understand the range of powers at their disposal and provide the best possible support to the people they serve.” The Ombudsman’s report also includes good practice notes for council officers, and questions that members of councils’ scrutiny committees can use to look at their own authorities’ performance. The report was featured on the BBC Radio 4's Today earlier this morning (from 02:06:00) https://lnkd.in/gPu2K7sK You can read the full report on our website: https://lnkd.in/e2HjDtJH