Ombudsman highlights priorities to improve public services over next three years The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has made four recommendations to Government on how the organisation could improve the public services it oversees in its flagship Triennial Review, launched today. The Review assesses the effectiveness of the Ombudsman’s service alongside the delivery of services in the ...

Resident left feeling unsafe after council ignored neighbour complaints An Enfield man was left feeling unsafe in his own home after his local council repeatedly failed to act on his reports of anti-social behaviour (ASB) from a neighbour, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reports. The man contacted London Borough of Enfield the day after moving into his flat in 2024. He reported per ...

North Tyneside child left without alternative education for more than a year because of council failures - Ombudsman North Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found it failed to provide promised specialist technology that would have allowed a child with special educational needs to learn from home - the second time the Ombudsm ...

Ombudsman warns councils are 'losing control' of planning enforcement as complaints increasingly reveal years-long delays Unlawful developments are being left permanently in place across England because under-resourced councils are running out of time to act, a new report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reveals today. ‘Losing control: complaints about planning enforcement’, hi ...

Investigation into Bucks brothers’ missing therapy uncovered 400 children potentially affected by change of council contract Buckinghamshire brothers with special educational needs were left without the speech and language therapy they were legally entitled to for more than a year - because Buckinghamshire Council failed to make sure it was in place. During an investigation by the Local Governmen ...

Council failed Disabled young woman and her family over college transport, Ombudsman finds Windsor and Maidenhead council has agreed to apologise and reconsider if it should provide free transport to a Disabled young woman trying to get to college. It will also look at other Disabled adult learners’ cases to see if they have also been affected by similar decision making. The Local Government and ...

Disabled man slept on floor after council homelessness failure, Ombudsman finds A Disabled Norwich man slept on the concrete floor of a garage for several nights after Norwich City Council failed to consider his homelessness application properly, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found. The Ombudsman's investigation into the man’s complaint found the council did not prope ...

Focus Reports and Guides for Practitioners Focus reports highlight common or systemic issues we see, brought to life with case studies from our complaints. They share learning from complaints to help councils and care providers make improvements, contribute to public policy debates and give elected members tools to scrutinise local services. Focus reports are web-based publications. If you need a ...

External consultations and inquiries 2026 March - LGSCO consultation response to National Planning Policy Framework March - LGSCO response to Fostering consultation March - LGSCO response to CPA consultation 2025 September - LGSCO response to the MHCLG consultation on the Local Government Outcomes Framework September - LGSCO response to the MHCLG consultation on Changing the way government alloca ...

AI Strategy Purpose To make use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in line with the principles set out below, to position us to empower all LGSCO staff and increase our capacity to remedy injustice as effectively as possible. Vision Our vision is for AI based technology to be a tool that helps us improve the services we provide in a way that is responsible, fair and easily understood by all. We aim ...