Ombudsman sees 15% increase in number of new complaints registered for second consecutive year

Of the 4,441 complaints in which it carried out a detailed investigation, the Ombudsman upheld 83%.

The figures are part of the Ombudsman’s Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25, presented to parliament today (18 December).

In the report, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Amerdeep Clarke highlighted the “major milestone” of publishing the Triennial Review 2024-27, which articulated concerns around the “systemic nature” of issues seen by the Ombudsman in local services – particularly in education, housing and adult social care.

She said: “It offers four key solutions, where changes to our legislation would help to reduce gaps in the system of redress when members of the public have suffered injustice.

“These include allowing us to investigate ‘beyond the school gate’ to look at the actions of state schools in fulfilling Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan requirements, as well as the support given to those children with additional needs who don’t meet the bar for an EHC Plan.”

In 2024-25, the Ombudsman completed 90% of investigations within 26 weeks.

After making any recommendations to remedy injustice, more than 99% were carried out to the Ombudsman’s “satisfaction”, said the report.

The year also included the publication of nine thematic reports to help improve local government services, including focus reports on fostering and adoption services, and on cases where people “fell through gaps due to bureaucracy between local health and social care service providers”.

The LGSCO also published good practice guides for council officers on medical assessments in housing services, domestic abuse when considering homelessness and housing decisions, and household waste offences.

LGSCO Chief Executive and Accounting Officer, Julie Odams, said: “The increase in the number of complaints made to us, over two years, shows there is a growing need from the public for us to look into their concerns about the services they receive.

“We have continued to focus on telling people if we can investigate their complaint in detail as quickly as possible. This is vital because many people are seeking a final say on long and complicated disputes.

“Despite managing increased caseloads, the quality of our decision making remains high and we remain committed to helping improve services for everybody by reporting on the learning from our casework to the local government and social care sectors we oversee.”

Lottie Winson