Members of the public now have the chance to help shape the future of the Local Government Ombudsman through an innovative new advisory forum.

The forum, believed to be the first of its kind for a public sector ombudsman, will advise on the accessibility of the LGO service, provide direct feedback on the user experience and share views to make sure that the LGO’s services meet the needs of all its users.

The forum will be made up of a majority stake of members of the public. Alongside these, there will be representatives from local authorities and social care providers, as well as those who act as advocates for the public, such as advisory bodies, MPs and councillors.

To recruit the public element of the forum, the LGO has written to more than 3,000 people who have used the LGO’s services in the past three months, inviting them to apply.

Dr Jane Martin, Local Government Ombudsman, said:

“The LGO is continually looking at ways to improve our service for both the public and the bodies we investigate.

“We really want to hear from people who have direct experience of using our services. This is an excellent chance for them to help shape the future direction of the LGO and the service we provide.

“By opening up our doors, we hope to ensure we meet the needs of those who use of service in the most appropriate way possible.”

The first meeting is to be held in November. The posts are non-remunerated and notes from the meetings will be made public, without being attributable.

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints about local councils, and social care providers.

The organisation can provide redress in cases of service failure which have caused injustice to a person, seeking to put the complainant back in the position they were in before the injustice occurred

Article date: 27 September 2013