Ombudsman and Enforcement Conduct Board sign agreement The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to aid better investigation of complaints and concerns about enforcement agents. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about enforcement agents – more commonly known as bailiffs – when acting on behalf of local authorit ...

New guide aims to improve support for children missing education The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has today published new guidance to help councils better support children who are unable to go to school. The Ombudsman has seen an exponential rise in complaints involving alternative education provision. Over the past three years its caseload has increased tenfold with 38 cases invest ...

Hackney to review rejected Blue Badge applications from past 16 months following Ombudsman investigation Drivers in Hackney who have been refused a Blue Badge can apply to have their cases reassessed after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found flaws in the local council’s scheme. The Ombudsman investigated a woman’s complaint that London Borough of Hackney had not renewed her badge ...

Ombudsman responds to NAO report on sustainability of local government finances The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has welcomed the report by the National Audit Office (NAO), highlighting the precarious nature of local government finances due to increased demand for frontline services. The report highlights the increasing number of complaints the Ombudsman receives and upholds, as evi ...

“Just who is left to fight their corner?” – Ombudsman launches report on fostering for councils When ‘Amie’ left care, her local council did not look into her claim that she suffered abuse while living with foster carers properly. This is just one of the cases highlighted in today’s Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman report about fostering in England which demonstrates what can and has go ...

Ombudsman reminds councils to review SEN needs before Key Stage transfers Councils need to review children’s special educational needs in the run-up to Key Stage transfers, even if they are staying at the same school, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. The reminder comes after the Ombudsman investigated a complaint from a Warwickshire parent that the county council had not c ...

Children’s complaints still dominate Ombudsman casework in 2024-25, but housing has overtaken adult services Complaints about education and children’s services are still dominating the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s casework, but housing cases are now the second biggest area of concern for people complaining. Published today, the Ombudsman’s annual review of its local government com ...

Ombudsman investigation uncovers significant delays in Yorkshire council’s EHC Plan process Leeds City Council has been criticised for significant delays in making decisions about support for children with special educational needs. An investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found delays by the Council in nearly eight out of 10 Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans even a ...

New report highlights urgent need to listen to disabled people in the fight against England’s housing crisis England’s housing crisis is deepening, and for Disabled people, its impact is particularly acute. A new report, released today by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, sheds light on the disproportionate challenges Disabled people face when navigating local authorities’ housing a ...

Moors Park (Bishopsteignton) Ltd refuses to agree to Ombudsman recommendations Devon care provider, Moors Park (Bishopsteignton) Ltd, has refused to apologise to a client’s son and refund his mother and other residents, after the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said the provider had charged them money which was not set out in their contracts. The Ombudsman initially investigated after ...