30.06.15
‘Unprecedented’ rise in councils challenging Ombudsman decisions
The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has seen an “unprecedented” increase in the number of councils challenging its decisions and failing to comply with its recommendations, a new report has revealed.
The LGO’s Annual Review of Local Government Complaints notes “a small but unprecedented increase in the number of councils refusing to implement our recommendations”.
A number of these sought to publicly challenge the validity of LGO decisions through the media and the Ombudsman uses the report to remind councils that the only formal way to challenge its findings is through the courts.
“While councils ultimately have the democratic right to choose how to implement LGO recommendations, these few instances raise a question about how councils are held to account if they fail to comply with the recommendations of its ombudsman,” an LGO statement said.
The report also shows that the complaints system in local government is under increasing pressure.
It suggests that many councils are dealing with increasing numbers of complaints and have fewer resources available to manage them due to staff numbers being cut in complaint handling teams.
The warning is also backed by research that found that, on average, people spent nine months trying to resolve their complaint before coming to the LGO, and 43% of people were not told that they could approach the LGO for an independent review.
The report also releases the LGO’s data for the complaints it received in 2014-15. It registered 18,211 complaints and enquiries about councils, and upheld 46% of all complaints where it carried out a detailed investigation. Within its total number of complaints there was a 10% increase in adult social care complaints and an 11% decrease in complaints about benefits and tax.
Local Government Ombudsman, Dr Jane Martin, said: “Our findings point to a local complaints system that is under real pressure. Complaint handling teams are having to do ‘more with less’ and the process is not as accessible and timely as it should be.
“More investment into complaints, both in terms of resources and developing an open culture, is a good value way of driving service improvement – and local government needs to challenge itself on this question. Complaints must be seen as a positive. They can provide an early warning system for issues and are an indicator of public sentiment.
"We hope that by sharing our data and knowledge from complaints, we can help with this process by promoting local accountability for actions, and allowing better scrutiny of services.”
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