Our structure and staff Our staff We have 191 full time equivalent staff (excluding the Ombudsman) as of 1 April 2025. As an impartial ombudsman service it is essential that people can trust the independence of our investigations. Our Conflict of interests rules ensure we remain impartial by avoiding any conflicts of interest from arising during the course of dealing with a complaint. Our Code of ...

West Sussex removed care transport for disabled adult without proper consideration - Ombudsman West Sussex County Council will be inviting people to get in touch if they think the council's assessment of their needs has left them unable to access their day centre. This comes after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman highlighted concerns about how the council considered a family’s trave ...

City council in foster carer dispute after girl’s mother dies Birmingham City Council considered allowing an 11 year-old girl to be deported during a dispute with her foster carers, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has discovered. The girl, who was born in the UK, was being looked after by family friends after her mother died as she had no other relatives in the country. The couple ...

Ombudsman criticises Warwick planners following loss of bat habitat Warwick District Council is to pay a local wildlife group £1,000 and provide new hibernation boxes for bats after it failed to properly consider the impact a development might have on local wildlife when it approved a planning application, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. The council approved the planning ...

Councils urged to check their care charging procedures following Ombudsman investigations Councils across England are being reminded of their obligations to families when placing people in care homes, after two North Yorkshire families paid over the odds for relatives’ care because the county council gave them inaccurate information. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has issued its f ...

Damage to property or personal injury due to poorly maintained highways This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman about damage to their property (eg their car) or an injury they have suffered when using the roads or pavements.It also covers complaints about the failure to properly maintain highways whether or not an injury has occurred ...

Essex couple unable to spend as much time as they wanted in final days because of council decision An Essex woman was not able to spend as much time as she wanted with her husband in his final weeks because the county council moved him to a care placement further away from the family home, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found. The man, who had dementia, had been living in a ca ...

Somerset failed to act on agreed Ombudsman recommendation Somerset Council has been criticised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for taking too long to put in place Speech and Language therapy for a teenager with special educational needs, following an earlier complaint. The council had agreed to provide the therapy for the girl set out in her Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan ...

Damage to property or personal injury due to poorly maintained highways This fact sheet is aimed primarily at people who may be considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman about damage to their property (eg their car) or an injury they have suffered when using the roads or pavements.It also covers complaints about the failure to properly maintain highways whether or not an injury has occurred ...

Council should have better oversight of nurseries providing free places, Ombudsman says The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has told Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to maintain better oversight of nurseries’ charging structures when they are providing the Government’s free places scheme. The Ombudsman has asked the council to write to all providers in its area who are provi ...