Potholes: Treating the illness not just the symptom
With the publication of the ALARM survey, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, David Giles, talks to LocalGov about investing in local roads.
Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’
11/04/2025 Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme. |
Council apologises for failing to assess carer’s needs
03/04/2025 Southend-on-Sea City Council has agreed to apologise to a mother for failing to assess her needs as a carer on two occasions. |
Council to pay family nearly £8k after education failure
03/04/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to pay £7,900 in compensation after council failures led to a child missing out on four terms of education. |
Council inaction left disabled woman scared she would die
20/03/2025 A disabled Islington woman said she was scared she had been left ‘to die’ after the council took too long to decide what support she should receive. |
Rochdale apologises for 1,500 SEND plan backlog
13/03/2025 Rochdale BC has apologised after admitting it has a backlog of 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
New LGSCO chief exec appointed
05/03/2025 Julie Odams has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). |
Council loses legal challenge over nursery fees
12/02/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has failed in its bid to challenge a decision made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Council delays left mother to pay £7,000 for children's care
06/02/2025 A mother had to pay £7,000 for her children’s therapy while she waited for Somerset Council to release the funds, an ombudsman has revealed. |
Council pays family £2,600 over missed education
04/02/2025 Wokingham Borough Council has been ordered to pay a mother £2,600 after it failed to meet her son’s special educational needs. |
Somerset fails to act on Ombudsman recommendations
22/01/2025 Somerset Council has been criticised for failing to act on an ombudsman’s recommendations to meet a young person’s needs. |
Council bureaucracy meant child missed months of school
22/01/2025 A child went months without education because of Trafford Council’s unnecessary delays, an investigation has found. |
Ombudsman: Decision to move man in his final days caused ‘distress’
16/01/2025 Essex County Council’s decision to move a man with dementia away from his wife during the final weeks of his life caused ‘avoidable distress’, an ombudsman has said. |
‘Serious concerns’ about council’s homelessness service
10/01/2025 Brentwood Borough Council has been putting ‘unnecessary barriers’ in the way of people accessing its homelessness services, an investigation has found. |
Ombudsman struggles to allocate cases
17/12/2024 A 15% increase in complaints received by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in the last financial year left many cases unallocated, watchdog says. |
Council’s five-year appeals backlog uncovered
12/12/2024 Luton Borough Council had a backlog of benefits appeals cases dating back five years, an investigation has found. |
Child was at ‘constant risk of injury’ in unsafe temporary accommodation
05/12/2024 A family with a disabled child had to live in an unsafe flat for a year and a half longer than they should have, an investigation has found. |
Child put in care after councils fail to adapt home
05/12/2024 Errors made by two councils left a child with significant and complex needs living in an unsuitable home for ‘far too long’, an ombudsman has found. |
Ombudsman calls for more powers
22/11/2024 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has called for it to be granted further powers to close ‘accountability gaps'. |
Council’s poor understanding of SEND ‘incomprehensible’, says Ombudsman
19/11/2024 Worcestershire County Council has committed to providing better training after an investigation revealed it had failed a child with special needs. |
Council refuses to pay remedy to domestic abuse victim
13/11/2024 Leicester City Council has refused part of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s recommendation to pay a homeless domestic abuse victim following a complaint. |
Ombudsman chief to retire
08/11/2024 The chief executive of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman will retire in May. |
Councils urged to improve adoption processes
07/11/2024 Local authorities in England need to learn from past failures to get support for adoptive families right, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman says. |
Council pays resident £3,000 over noise pollution
24/10/2024 North Hertfordshire District Council did not do enough to stop a resident suffering noise pollution from a nearby business, an Ombudsman has found. |
Council apologises after ‘vulnerable’ man left homeless
17/10/2024 Tower Hamlets Council has apologised after it left a vulnerable man with significant care needs unsupported when he was made homeless. |
Council landlords struggle with damp and mould
17/10/2024 Seven councils have been named in a housing watchdog's report on severe maladministration in damp and mould complaints. |
Mother fleeing abuse forced to live in mixed-sex B&B
10/10/2024 A mother fleeing abuse was forced to live in accommodation so unsuitable her disabled child would soil themselves rather than use the shared bathroom. |
Council apologises for flawed approach to travel support
04/10/2024 Sandwell Council has apologised after the local government Ombudsman found flaws in the way it considered a family’s application for travel support. |
Chief ombudsman for new housing appointed
25/09/2024 The New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) has appointed Nigel Cates as the new chief ombudsman to lead the service from the end of September. |
Ombudsman calls for mandatory complaints signposting
25/09/2024 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has called for private care providers to be required to tell people about its service. |
Councils accused of being overzealous with ‘middle-class fly-tipping’
23/09/2024 Councils have been accused of being overzealous when it comes to fining people who leave items outside their home for neighbours to collect for free. |
Ombudsman: Grenfell should lead to end of social housing ‘stigma’
05/09/2024 The inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy should lead to a ‘wider societal change’ to end the stigmatisation of those living in social housing, Ombudsman says. |
Woman denied help after council fails to recognise domestic abuse
05/09/2024 Ealing Council denied a pregnant woman housing support because it used an outdated definition of domestic abuse, an ombudsman has found. |
Teen left at self-harm risk after council’s housing delay
22/08/2024 A teenager with significant support needs was at significant risk of self-harm after a council left him ‘on the brink of homeless’, an ombudsman has reported. |
Ombudsman ‘astonished’ by failure to remove waste
08/08/2024 Kingston Council’s refusal to move a dumped mattress for four months has left the local government ombudsman ‘astonished’. |
Ombudsman publishes new guidance for housing officers
31/07/2024 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has published a guide for officers who make decisions on people’s housing needs based on medical assessments. |
Severe maladministration findings prompt housing investigation
30/07/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has launched a special investigation into Lewisham Council following a ‘significant number of severe maladministration findings’. |
Councils ‘struggling to cope’ with complaints
24/07/2024 More than one in five remedies by councils who have received complaints are being implemented late, Ombudsman finds. |
Tower Hamlets Council apologises for housing backlog
12/07/2024 Tower Hamlets Council has agreed to review the way it allocates properties after an investigation revealed a backlog in housing register applications. |
Council failed in duties over care home closure
08/07/2024 Wokingham Borough Council’s failures over a struggling care home caused distress and anxiety for a woman who had lived there for 16 years, an investigation has found. |
Council pays family £1,500 after school transport failure
04/07/2024 A family in Surrey has been paid £1,500 in compensation after the county council failed to provide school transport for a child with medical needs. |
Tower Hamlets apologises after ‘gatekeeping’ finding
13/05/2024 Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family threatened with eviction, an ombudsman has found. |
Council pays family £8k over failure to educate child
25/04/2024 Suffolk County Council left a young girl with special educational needs with no education for a year and a half, an ombudsman has found. |
Essex council agrees to rethink alternative education changes
04/04/2024 Essex CC agrees to investigate why changes to its alternative education provision for children who are unable to attend school have not improved the service. |
Housing Ombudsman awards residents £40k
14/03/2024 Residents left in dire damp and mould conditions by Lewisham Council have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds. |
Council apologises for failing to recognise abuse
14/03/2024 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has apologised after failing to properly identify the abuse suffered by a homeless man. |
Ombudsman: Family left ‘sofa surfing’ for a year
01/03/2024 Waltham Forest Council has apologised after a family was forced to stay with relatives and friends – or ‘sofa surfing’ – for a year because the local authority forgot about them. |
Birmingham failed residents over damp and mould, ombudsman finds
22/02/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has found six cases of severe maladministration in Birmingham City Council’s handling of issues reported by tenants. |
Council to revisit how it calculated allowances to 300 families
21/02/2024 An investigation has revealed that Devon County Council has been calculating incorrectly allowances for families who look after children as special guardians. |
Thurrock bin crews trapped wheelchair user
20/02/2024 Bin crews in Thurrock have repeatedly trapped a disabled woman in her home by not returning her bins to the proper place, ombudsman finds. |
Council appeared to be in ‘crisis management mode’
20/02/2024 ‘Multiple and repeated’ failures by Hammersmith and Fulham Council left residents feeling ‘anything but secure in their homes’, a special investigation has found. |
Council order to pay over £18k after severe maladministration findings
01/02/2024 Waltham Forest Council has been ordered to pay £18,800 in compensation after failings were discovered in three different housing cases. |
Children with SEND impacted by psychologist shortage
31/01/2024 The lives of children with SEND are being negatively affected by the shortage of educational psychologists, the local government ombudsman has warned. |
North Northants fined £1,500 after girl misses school
26/01/2024 The leader of North Northamptonshire Council has apologised to the family of a girl who missed part of her education because of her health. |
Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission for social housing
23/01/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has called for the establishment of a Royal Commission to deliver a long-term plan for social housing that tackles social injustices. |
New local government Ombudsman appointed
18/01/2024 Amerdeep Somal will be the next Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, the Government has confirmed. |
Maladministration findings ‘springboard’ to better services, Croydon told
16/01/2024 Croydon Council has been told by the Housing Ombudsman to use learning as a ‘springboard to deliver better services’ after severe maladministration findings. |
Council improvements not ‘felt by residents’
11/01/2024 Lambeth Council’s complaints handling process has improved but the results have not been ‘seen and felt by its residents’, according to the Housing Ombudsman. |
Council slammed over complaints response
11/01/2024 A watchdog has been ‘compelled’ to publicly highlight Bury Council’s failures after the authority took too long to remedy complaints. |
Special investigation launched into Camden and Hackney
12/12/2023 A special investigation has been launched into Camden and Hackney councils after the Housing Ombudsman found they were struggling to tackle damp and mould. |
Gove criticises ‘unacceptable’ maladministration findings
11/12/2023 Housing secretary Michael Gove has told three councils he will take a ‘personal interest’ in how they improve following findings of severe maladministration by the Housing Ombudsman. |
Repairs failure caused family ‘significant distress’
06/12/2023 The Housing Ombudsman has found severe maladministration in Hackney Council’s three-year failure to properly fix a leaking roof. |
Council fined £13k after maladministration findings
01/12/2023 Lambeth Council has been ordered to pay £13,000 in compensation after six severe maladministration findings. |
Care service failed to meet cultural needs
28/11/2023 A woman suffered diet and skin problems because the nursing home her council placed her in failed to meet her cultural needs, a watchdog has found. |
Council let ‘uninhabitable’ flat to family
16/11/2023 Manchester City Council let a property with damp rooms and a rotten floor to a family with young children, the Housing Ombudsman has found. |
Council failure left ambulance unable to reach resident
15/11/2023 Stevenage Borough Council’s failure to fix a disabled resident’s door entry system left the ambulance service unable to attend to him, a watchdog has found. |
South Gloucestershire families not getting agreed respite
08/11/2023 Almost a third of families with children with special needs in South Gloucestershire have not been receiving sufficient respite care, an investigation has found. |
Islington ordered to pay £66,000 after housing investigation
24/10/2023 A ‘disjointed’ approach to complaints and a ‘lack of ownership’ were found in a special investigation to be behind Islington Council's 'persisting' housing problems. |
Social housing complaints hit record high
17/10/2023 Complaints against social housing landlords last year saw a record spike due to poor property conditions and media coverage after the death of Awaab Ishak. |
Council failed for years over restaurant complaints
21/09/2023 A homeowner suffered years of distress because Brentwood council failed to properly investigate nuisances caused by a next-door restaurant, the local government ombudsman has found. |
Record non-compliance in landlords’ complaint handling
19/09/2023 A record number of landlords did not comply with complaint handling failure orders in the last quarter, the Housing Ombudsman has found. |
Council apologises after man with dementia left unsupported
08/09/2023 Calderdale Council has apologised after a man with a rapidly progressing form of dementia was left in unsuitable hotel accommodation for too long. |
Newham to review hundreds of rejected freedom passes
07/09/2023 Following an ombudsman investigation, the London Borough of Newham will review more than 200 applications for freedom passes it rejected. |
Surge in upheld SEND complaints
04/09/2023 A growing number of complaints involving special educational needs and disability (SEND) provision and education, health and care (EHC) plans are being upheld by the local government ombudsman. |
Council to compensate family over missed schooling
24/08/2023 Leeds City Council has been ordered to pay £1,500 to a mother whose child could not attend school for 18 months because of delays to an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. |
Hundreds of Valium prescriptions to be reviewed
23/08/2023 Hundreds of vulnerable people with drug and alcohol dependencies who have been prescribed Valium are set to have their cases reviewed following investigation. |
Council’s delays left resident at risk
22/08/2023 Newham Council has been ordered to pay £5,400 after the London borough took three years to resolve damp and mould issues in one of its properties. |
Complaint handling failure leaves children at risk
15/08/2023 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been criticised after a complaint handling failure left vulnerable children in a damp and mouldy property. |
Councils failing to tackle antisocial behaviour
15/08/2023 Local authorities are failing to use the tools available to them to tackle antisocial behaviour, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Housing Ombudsman orders Waverley to pay £13,000
11/08/2023 Waverley Borough Council has been ordered to pay nearly £13,000 after delays meant a resident was forced to install disability adaptations themselves. |
Council criticised for failing to investigate noise complaint
09/08/2023 A couple who owns a company in Gloucester have accused the council of costing them business by not investigating their complaint against a noisy neighbour. |
Sandwell Council fails resident with depression
09/08/2023 Sandwell Council failed to consider a resident’s vulnerabilities during an anti-social behaviour case despite multiple reminders, Housing Ombudsman has found. |
First joint Ombudsmen investigation criticises complaint handling
08/08/2023 Nottingham CC has been criticised for the way it dealt with antisocial behaviour in what was the first joint investigation by the two Ombudsmen’s services. |
Council fined after family of six forced to share bedroom
01/08/2023 The Housing Ombudsman has fined Barking and Dagenham Council £6,000 after its failure to deal with damp and mould resulted in a family sharing a bedroom. |
Liverpool CC praised for complaints handling improvements
27/07/2023 Liverpool City Council has been praised for the improvements it has made in the way it handles complaints. |
Ombudsman orders landlord L&Q to pay £142,000
27/07/2023 One of the biggest social landlords in Britain has been ordered to pay £142,000 after an investigation revealed it was ‘dismissive’ of complaints. |
Education and children's services top complaints to Ombudsman
26/07/2023 The Ombudsman’s annual complaints statistics have revealed education and children’s services as the key areas of concern, making up a quarter of the workload. |
Housing Ombudsman inspecting Lambeth Council over complaint handling
11/07/2023 The Housing Ombudsman is scrutinizing Lambeth Council’s complaint handling after finding that residents from a previously resolved case had problems return. |
Investigation reveals complaints backlog in Kent
06/07/2023 Kent County Council has a backlog of 170 unanswered children’s services and education complaints, an investigation has revealed. |
Haringey accused of ‘culture of apathy’
04/07/2023 There is a ‘culture of apathy’ at Haringey that has led to a lack of accountability and intrinsic motivation when handling complaints, Housing Ombudsman says. |
Ealing Council apologises to family after ombudsman report
22/06/2023 Ealing Council has apologised to a family who lived in unsuitable accommodation for nearly 18 months |
Council chiefs named in King's Birthday Honours
19/06/2023 Council officers and members were among those to be named on the King’s Birthday Honours list this year. |
Ombudsman issues 'adverse findings notice'
16/06/2023 The local government Ombudsman has issued a rare 'adverse findings notice' against a care provider in Leicester after he refused to comply with a remedy. |
Complaint handling delay leaves Ealing resident vulnerable
15/06/2023 A nine-month delay in Ealing Council’s complaint handling left a vulnerable resident without redress, Ombudsman says. |
Ombudsman criticises council’s school transport policy
15/06/2023 Stockton-on-Tees Council has pledged to improve its education transport policy for young adults after being taken to task in an Ombudsman investigation. |
Learn from complaint handling errors, Ombudsman says
13/06/2023 The Ombudsman has called on landlords to learn from the way complaints about housing have been handled ahead of a shakeup in the system next year. |
Ombudsman highlights importance of proper complaints handling
09/06/2023 Ombudsman reminds local authorities about the importance of handling complaints properly after it found problems with two councils’ procedures. |
Lambeth fined £6,500 after failing to fix leaky roof
06/06/2023 Lambeth Council has been ordered to pay £6,500 in compensation after it left a family in a damp and mouldy house with a leaky roof for six years. |
Council criticised after safeguarding failure
02/06/2023 Tandridge DC failed in its duties towards a resident with poor mental health under the Equality Act and its own safeguarding policy, ombudsman finds. |
Councils urged to improve knowledge and information management
24/05/2023 Knowledge and information problems have led to vulnerabilities being missed and financial detriment for residents seeking housing help, says Ombudsman. |
Council asked to reimburse father for nursery fees
19/05/2023 Windsor and Maidenhead Council has been asked to partially reimburse the fees a father paid while his daughter was receiving free nursery care. |
