Education and children cases stay as number 1 source of complaints to LGO
The Local Government Ombudsman resolved more than 10,000 complaints in 2012/13, a year its chairwoman described as the most turbulent in its history.
The report, Raising the Standards, showed that education and children cases produced the highest number of complaints, at 17% of the total.
This category of complaints – which has taken the top spot for the second year running – was followed by planning and development (14%), adult social care (12%), and benefits and tax (12%).
Further areas contributing a significant number of complaints were: council housing (10%); environmental, public protection and regulation (10%); highways and transport (10%); and corporate and other (8%).
The LGO said it had exceeded a number of time targets it set to complete investigations during the year: 55% of complaints received a decision within 13 weeks, and 85% within 26 weeks. Just 3% took longer than 12 months to complete.
Of the 10,307 complaints, just under half (4,771) needed to be investigated in more detail.
The LGO said it had resolved 1,937 of those complaints by identifying failings and securing the agreement to put things right or issuing a report with recommendations on remedying the issue.
In the other 2,834 cases it provided “reassurance that the body had acted correctly or that the issues caused no adverse consequences”.
The Ombudsman meanwhile reported a 19% drop in requests for reviews of its own decisions. The decision making was found to be not of the standard the LGO would expect in just over 4% of these cases.
The annual report revealed that the LGO received 19 pre-action protocol letters. Permission to bring judicial review proceedings was granted in only two of these cases and the court found for the Ombudsman in both cases.
During the course of the year, the LGO published ‘Focus Reports’ on areas of concern such as bailiffs and adult social care. It also issued more than 50 investigation reports.
The annual report revealed that the Ombudsman dealt with more than 90,000 contacts from the public during 2012/13.
Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said: “Over the past year we have challenged ourselves to transform the way we work: with a new business model and a reduction in funding of £2m.
“I’m pleased to say we have achieved all this while continuing to deliver a fair and effective service to the people who contact us.The LGO is now a lean, fit for purpose organisation.”
Writing in the foreword to the report, Dr Martin also said: “It is no exaggeration to say that 2012/13 has been the most turbulent year in the history of the Local Government Ombudsman.
“A combination of financial pressures, transformational change and public scrutiny of our services has tested leadership and management at all levels and required the continued commitment of our staff in a period of uncertainty.”
The report, which can be viewed here, said that over the coming year the LGO would continue its transformation and:
- Draw upon the expertise of a range of different stakeholders, including the public, by setting up an advisory panel;
- Publish the decisions it makes on all complaints received from 1 April 2013, making it the first public sector ombudsman in England to do so;
- Actively pursue greater co-operation and collaboration with its sister organisation, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
An independent report published in May this year concluded that the LGO was independent and accountable and had undergone an impressive restructuring.
However, it concluded that the organisation should be led by a single chief ombudsman presiding over a unified complaints-handling process.