Annual report 2009/10: Chairman's introduction
Meeting the challenges of the changing LGO landscape
The past 12 months have proved to be challenging yet stimulating for the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) service.
Improving local authorities' services
We place considerable emphasis on the concept of service improvement. The LGO is well placed to pinpoint opportunities for local authorities to improve not only complaints handling but also systems, procedures and other aspects of service delivery. LGO training, Annual Reviews and Ombudsman reports are the principal means of achieving improvement, and local authorities have responded very positively to these.
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Complaint numbers
The total number of complaints and enquiries received by the LGO showed a reduction compared to the previous year, falling from 21,012 to 18,020. Housing and planning remain the largest areas of complaint although there was no significant change in the numbers received for each of these services.
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Our performance
Performance within the LGO service remains strong. Decision levels and times taken to investigate complaints have been good during a period when staffing levels fell markedly. The growth in recent years in school admission appeals cases is noteworthy. Adult social care complaints increased, no doubt partly explained by the move from a three-stage complaints-handling procedure to one stage. Children and young people complaints are rising slowly but the high proportion of findings of fault in this area may be significant. Total decisions involving redress amounted to 2,435, a reduction of 450 compared to 2008/09. Local settlements and Ombudsman reports together represented 28 per cent of the cases considered (excluding those outside our jurisdiction).
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Expansion of our role
Plans were put in place during the year to deliver a significant expansion of the LGO’s work. The Ombudsman’s jurisdiction will, this year and next, extend to most aspects of education provided by local authorities and state schools (other than academies) together with the provision of adult social care in the private and not-for-profit sectors.
A new service design has been put in place for each of the new areas of jurisdiction, and teams have been established in each of our three offices combining the existing expertise of LGO investigators with a number of staff recruited from the sectors which will be within jurisdiction. The LGO has acquired expertise in dispute resolution over many years and is confident that it will deliver an effective service in fulfilling its new responsibilities.
These new services will be launched with a clear undertaking to recognise the specific requirements and sensitivities associated with these sectors, as well as listening carefully to the interests and wise counsel of our stakeholders. We will maintain the LGO principles of independence, impartiality, fairness and rigour in delivering these new services.
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Our people
The year saw the departure of some 10 per cent of the Commission’s staff in response to the reduced grant settlement announced over the period 2008 – 2011. Many of those staff had given loyal and dedicated service over a long period of time and the Commission would like to place on record its appreciation for their valued contribution.
Changes in the size and composition of the workforce were accompanied by measures to continue to provide our service in a way which was efficient and effective and was consistent with a rapidly changing local government environment and rising customer expectations. ‘Council First’ recognised the importance of giving the local authority a full opportunity to investigate complaints first, and the LGO Advice Team built on its first year of success in establishing a Commission-wide first-contact facility. At the same time we encountered the impact of the new one-stage complaints-handling arrangements for local authority adult social care.
The Commission was delighted to welcome Jane Martin as the new Vice-chair and Local Government Ombudsman in the Coventry office, and I am sure Jane’s background and experience will be a major asset to the service. She succeeds Jerry White who retired in September 2009 after a distinguished period of service over 14 years. I would also like to record my personal thanks to Peter MacMahon, who retired as Deputy Ombudsman in London in April 2010, for his admirable skills and professionalism in supporting me and the Commission over many years.
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Retirement
This will be my last Annual Report as, in November 2010, I too will be retiring. I have enjoyed my term of office immensely as I have witnessed the organisation developing, and indeed expanding, its role over the past eight-and-a-half years. Its ability to adjust and adapt to a rapidly changing local government landscape has been very satisfying, and my sincere thanks go to my fellow Commissioners who have helped steer the organisation to the position it has achieved today. This, of course, could not have happened without the commitment and fortitude of our staff for which I am grateful.
My final thanks must go to my Personal Assistant, Dil Gorwala. She has performed quite outstandingly in support of me over the past seven years, and I know this sentiment is shared by all who have been in any way associated with her work.
My very best wishes go to all my colleagues and friends within the Commission as they face the exciting and, possibly, daunting challenges that lie ahead.
Tony Redmond
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Date Updated: 05/07/11