LG & SC Ombudsman Opiniões 349

This review is my seasoned perspective as someone who has won around 10 complaints to LGO about notoriously corrupt lambeth council.

Unfortunately councils operate like organised crime groups and since they're untouchable, avenues for resolution are limited. LGO is not an adequate option but it's the only one, since councils ignore CCJs so you end up losing court and bailiff fees.

LGO takes on average 2 years to investigate council complaints, but before they do that, they will ignore you and claim (lambeth) council needs "more time " to respond when they've not responded for 8 months. I usually resend my complaint to LGO 5x before they reluctantly start the 2 year process. They hope you will give up, so dont!

The most you will get at the end is £500 so decide whether or not it's worth it.

LGO refuses to provide updates during the 2 year process, so you have no idea of the status of your complaint.

Now for the kicker: they will demand that you as the complainant provide evidence for all your assertions, but they blindly accept whatever council staff tell them without verifying it. Council staff routinely lie to LGO. So check everything and demand evidence. In one case, LGO blindly accepted false accounting from a corrupt council employee when I could prove his calculations were fraudulent with evidence from hmrc.

Second kicker: LGO has no enforcement powers, so cannot compel councils to implement agreed resolutions.
You will therefore need to raise another complaint with LGO, but not before first complaining to the council and then starting the whole 2 year process again!

So understand that trying to hold the council to account is a years-long endeavour that needs to be treated as a hobby or project.

Lambeth council has breached one particular LGO decision six times. So six times I've had to go back to LGO and complain about a breach of the agreed resolution. The council does this deliberately to antagonise complainants. After all, it only costs them £500 of taxpayer's money each time. It's all a joke to them.

At the end of your complaint, make a SAR to LGO. These are very enlightening as you get to see the lies the council told and you also see that LGO and councils are pally pally with smiley face emojis on their emails.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is sold to the public as an independent watchdog that holds councils accountable when they fail residents. In practice, it functions more like a case-closing machine that shields councils from proper scrutiny.
My experience was stark. After nearly two years of repeated bin collection failures, false “bin not out” records, failed monitoring periods, and clear signs of retaliatory targeting, the Ombudsman acknowledged fault but then rubber-stamped the Council’s ineffective apologies and monitoring as “appropriate and proportionate”. The underlying problem continues to this day. The decision simply closed the file.
Even worse, when I requested a review pointing out factual errors and ignored evidence, the Assistant Ombudsman rejected it in a handful of lines, addressing only one narrow procedural point while completely ignoring the rest. This is not oversight — it is administrative convenience dressed up as process.
The structural problem is obvious: there is no meaningful external check on Ombudsman decisions short of judicial review in the High Court — a route that is expensive, complex, and out of reach for ordinary residents. As a result, flawed decisions stand, poor council performance is normalised, and residents are left exactly where they started.
The LGSCO is funded by public money to protect citizens from maladministration. Instead, it appears to prioritise workload management and case closure over genuine resolution. This is not just disappointing — it is a betrayal of its statutory purpose and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The system urgently needs independent evaluation. Parliament and government should examine whether the Ombudsman’s review process actually works, whether it properly addresses persistent and systemic failures, and whether the lack of real accountability is undermining public confidence in local government oversight.
Until that happens, the LGSCO risks becoming part of the problem rather than the solution.

Very poor experience with this organisation. Took months to respond to what should have been a simple case. In my opinion and based on my experience LGSCO are biased, a view which appears to be shared by most other reviewers. I would certainly not recommend.

I would prefer not to give them even one star but it doesn't work like that. I complained to my local social services about the support (or rather lack of support) they had deemed appropriate for my son, who has a learning disability. When I didn't get any joy from them I took my complaint to the Local Ombudsman. I was under the impression that they would be able to judge the fairness of the assessment of my son made by DCC social services and the lack of appropriate provision made in his budget. I was not informed at the start of the process that the Local Ombudsman would only be able to investigate whether social services had looked into my complaint. I think it should be made clear to people before the Ombudsman takes on their case that they are only able to look at whether the county council in question has investigated the complaint and as long as a Lead Disability person (who has never met the cared-for person) and is relying on reports from a social worker (who has only met him twice) has written an email concerning the complaint then that will be considered as sufficient action taken to investigate the complaint.
When I tried to complain to the Local Ombudsman about their service I found the staff of the Coventry branch of the Local Ombudsman very rude, arrogant and even threatening, telling me I could ask for a judicial review but warning me that I could be liable to pay betweeen £2,000 to £3,000 if I was unsucessful.
I made several complaints, even going so far as to write to the Chief Executive, Amardeep Clarke but I never received any apology from them for wasting my time for a whole year!

Our local councill have wasted £40000
Of tax payeres money on a so called redressing of the road out side of my house.
It is now worse than before no one at bristol city councill will take action on this matter and lc & sc onbidsmon have closed the case after an 18 week delay
Due to lack of evedence .
Do thease people not have eyes can they not see or is that they are just unintrested in taxpayers money being wasted

Investigator ignored evidence and refused to investigate on incorrect facts
My experience with the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman was extremely poor and has seriously undermined my confidence in the service.
The issue was not simply that my complaint was rejected — it was the way the investigator handled it.
I provided a fully evidenced complaint about a council’s failure to comply with agreed Flood Risk Assessment safeguards, causing ongoing flood risk, loss of amenity and significant distress. I supplied:
• a detailed chronology
• documentary evidence
• written confirmations from previous Ombudsman investigators
• and a formal Council letter explicitly accepting my complaint for investigation after review
Despite this, the investigator refused to investigate on the basis that the issue had “already been investigated”.
This was demonstrably wrong.
The Council itself had confirmed in writing that the complaint was new and would be “thoroughly investigated” and a “comprehensive response” provided. Yet this key document was simply ignored.
The investigator:
• disregarded relevant evidence
• failed to address determinative submissions
• relied on incorrect factual assumptions
• mischaracterised the scope of the complaint
• adopted the Council’s position without scrutiny
• and provided reasoning that directly contradicted the documentary record
There was no meaningful engagement with the evidence I provided. It felt like the conclusion had already been decided and the facts were made to fit.
Most concerningly, the Ombudsman refused to investigate because it claimed the Council already had — while the Council said it had not and had accepted the complaint for investigation. Both positions cannot logically be true, yet the investigator did not address this contradiction.
The result is that neither the Council nor the Ombudsman has actually examined the substantive issue. The complaint has simply been pushed away on procedural grounds.
That is not independent oversight.
It is not impartial.
And it is not what the Ombudsman service exists to provide.
I expected a fair, evidence-based review. Instead, I experienced a process where key facts were overlooked and the investigator appeared to side with the authority being complained about.
Very disappointing and far below the standard of accountability the public should expect.

⭐☆☆☆☆
Escalation to Senior Management – Serious Safeguarding and Accountability Failure

I am posting this to ensure senior management visibility, as my experience has revealed a serious breakdown in safeguarding accountability and transparency.

I raised safeguarding concerns about my vulnerable parent. Manchester City Council acknowledged the concerns, carried out internal processes, and closed the matter. I then escalated to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman has now refused to investigate, not because the concerns lacked seriousness, but because they say “no worthwhile outcome is achievable” and that unresolved family conflict places the matter outside their remit. They have directed that only the Court of Protection can resolve the situation.

This outcome highlights a deeply troubling gap in the system:
• Safeguarding concerns are effectively closed without independent scrutiny
• Family conflict is used as a reason not to investigate, rather than as a safeguarding risk factor
• The complainant is denied access to information, while being told they lack authority to challenge decisions
• Responsibility is repeatedly deflected between institutions, leaving vulnerable people without effective protection

At no point has there been meaningful accountability, transparency, or reassurance that safeguarding failures cannot recur.

I am sharing this publicly so that senior leaders are aware that the current processes allow serious safeguarding concerns to be dismissed procedurally rather than addressed substantively.

This is not about dissatisfaction with an outcome — it is about a systemic failure to provide effective safeguarding oversight.

Not only do they send template rejections, but their 'info@' email address is dead (550 error), and their 'intake' address is restricted. They have effectively insulated themselves from accountability. If you want to challenge a decision, they make it as technically difficult as possible.

The LGSCO’s latest Annual Report reveals they are funded by a £12.5 million grant from the public purse, with £10.95 million spent on staffing. Despite their own accounts stating that each case costs the taxpayer an average of £887, my experience suggests this money is being wasted on a "reject-by-default" culture.

I raised a specific, nuanced query regarding the Council’s corporate accounting methodology and transparency—a clear matter of local government administration. Instead of a reasoned legal determination, I was met with three successive template responses. When I challenged this, Intake Team Manager Andrew Grice issued a "final" refusal to correspond further, effectively deadlocking the case without ever addressing the point of law raised.

It is a disgrace that a public body, costing nearly £900 per case, uses its resources to insulate itself from accountability rather than investigating systemic maladministration. They are failing their statutory duty under the Local Government Act 1974 while hiding behind a "finality" clause to silence legitimate grievances.

I am now escalating this service failure to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Taxpayers deserve an ombudsman that investigates, not one that manages its backlog by issuing formulaic rejections.

The LGO presents itself as an independent watchdog. In reality, it functions as a protective buffer for councils rather than for the public.

In my case, Sheffield City Council failed to engage with the vast majority of medical and professional evidence submitted about my disabled mother, relied on demonstrably incorrect facts, and ultimately told me they would “no longer reply” or accept further evidence. This is something the Ombudsman has previously ruled unlawful in other cases.

Rather than scrutinise this behaviour, the LGO chose to defend it. They repeatedly reframed my complaint as a disagreement with a housing decision, even though the core issue was that evidence had never been properly considered in the first place. When I challenged this, I was told that “it is not for us to consider medical evidence” – missing the point entirely. The problem was not their clinical judgment; it was their refusal to examine whether the council had ignored evidence at all.

The Ombudsman also accepted a council narrative about a housing “bid” based on redacted system logs that did not actually show who placed it, while dismissing my documented challenge to that claim. Safeguarding concerns, ignored correspondence from MPs, and a disregarded Pre-Action Protocol letter were effectively brushed aside as out of scope.

Even when the Ombudsman acknowledged that Sheffield had given unlawful advice to external applicants, they treated this as a one-off mistake and declined to consider whether others might have been affected. That choice prioritises institutional convenience over public protection.

If you are seeking genuine accountability, robust evidence handling, or meaningful scrutiny of council behaviour, this is not the service you will receive.

LGSCO are responsible for having forced me down to a point in my life where I dread night time, and even the start of a new day due to constant noise.
There now exists a continuous disregard by governmental organisations to ignore illegal exploitation of people running business's from their homes.
This is destroying what was once the right of every living person, to enjoy the peace and quiet of their own homes.
For over a decade I have suffered 24/7 machinery noise followed up by outrageous slamming and banging from neighbours working from home and enjoying tax free cash.

My neighbours House/Factory, is completely ignored and even possibly condoned by both the council and their so-called (HE) noise services.
Instead of helping me, they made me their victim by reversing complaints to make me the one that got investigated.

Years ago you could at least phone the police and there intervention tended to have a more lasting effect.
However, these days you have to rely on what can only be described as a complete denial service from council organisations.

Even turning to the Ombudsman is now a completely pointless act.
First you have to subscribe to their limited service, and I say limited because they even tell you off if you send them information they haven't requested.
This information would normally provide proof such as accusations made within council replies.
Its difficult to correspond clearly, and signing in is also compulsory.
You have no clear way to send them anything other than the start and end rejection of your complaint by the BCC.
Therefore no details of wrongdoings are included, which is clearly designed for them to simply shut you down.
Its bad enough that people are already suffering, but this ridiculous lack of clear communication puts an even greater strain on people.

I'm personally disgusted and its about time councils and their so-called backup services were privatised.
The contemptuous and cavalier attitudes that I have experienced would leave me with a strong opinion that random drug testing should be carried out on governmental service employees.
Just as they do in many sports, which clearly makes the suggestion nothing outrageous!

I'm well aware that there are people out there suffering much worse than myself, so all I can say is stay strong my friends, club together, and we'll keep on fighting for our justice!

The Ombudsman service was once quite good, but LGSCO now appears to be shielding councils along with their unfit for purpose services!

This body should be abolished, as its existence is merely another box-ticking exercise. There is no proper engagement or independent assessment. It is obvious that even in clear cases involving multiple breaches and maladministration by councils, the LGO either rejects complaints or delivers decisions in the councils’ favour. The professionalism and qualifications of the investigators are also in question. Public money should be directed elsewhere instead of being used to maintain these so-called Ombudsmen.

Absolutely shit they blocked communications with myself due to them failing service level agreement, take advantage of people disabilities, think they are above the law, add extra time on your case when they already added time due to a back log absolutely useless needs a complete overhaul and the current staff sacked

Terrible, biased service. People who have no knowledge of mental health and discrimination against disability under the Equality Act 2010. All of these ombudsman services are the same. None are independent and ALL of them side with the authority, energy supplier, or whosoever else. Grow some compassion and put yourself in the shoes of the complainant, because it's never easy to have to complain. It's a stress, but we do it because an injustice has happened with the said authority or organisation.

And if you just look at your score on TP, it's terrible. You are clearly not running an effective service. Bunch of jobsworths.

Not fit for purpose and is biased in favour of councils.

I followed the council’s formal complaints procedure, encouraged by my MP, without any resolution. I therefore referred the matter to the Ombudsman. Preparing the complaint took several hours, including writing a detailed submission and gathering supporting evidence. I then experienced difficulties uploading the material to the Ombudsman’s online portal, an issue also reported by others.

I was informed by email that it would take 3 months for the case to be allocated to a case officer. After waiting the full three months, I received a further email stating that no action would be taken. The explanation cited funding pressures, a reason others have also encountered, and showed clear bias towards the council, despite apparent procedural breaches already having occurred.

No attempt was made to contact me, ask questions, or clarify any aspect of my complaint. The decision was simply issued and closed. The entire process was a waste of time and effort. Any confidence I had in the Ombudsman as an independent body was completely undermined, leaving the council free to continue without meaningful scrutiny or accountability.

I was particularly concerned to be told that the Ombudsman intended to publish its findings. which I have asked not to happen, as the matter remains ongoing with the council. I have received no response to that request.

The mental strain placed on my family over the past nineteen months has been severe and is ongoing, yet this appears to have been given no consideration at all. In hindsight, I regret not having seen the Trustpilot reviews before submitting the complaint. I am not surprised that 98% of complaints are 1 star.

The cost to taxpayers of maintaining a service that operates with such evident bias is likely to be significant. The Ombudsman does not deliver justice for those affected by council failings and does not provide effective accountability. As a result, individuals are left without recourse when councils fail to act fairly or lawfully.

Local government = government.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman = government.

In other words, don't hold your breath in terms of getting an impartial and objective decision from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

I have escalated numerous complaints to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, and it has become abundantly clear that this organisation is incompetent, slapdash, extremely immoral, and bends over backwards for extremely unscrupulous Councils. I really don't know how some of its so-called "investigators" live with themselves.

The wisest approach would be to seek redress through the courts.

They made the process of logging a complaint very user-unfriendly with their online form. It is very difficult to attach emails, etc. When I called to request an email address (as I did not receive a response to a message I sent online) to forward all my communication with the body I complained about, after listening to all the options, they said they were unable to take my call and to call later. Very poor and feels like they made it difficult on purpose to discourage people from complaining. They should be ashamed.

I am extremely disappointed with my experience with the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman regarding two SEND complaints. Despite providing detailed evidence and referencing the specific legal duties under the SEND Regulations 2014 and Children & Families Act 2014, key issues were dismissed or misunderstood.

For Child 1, the Ombudsman overlooked clear evidence that the final EHCP was issued 14 weeks after the draft, even though the legal limit is 8 weeks. I submitted this evidence before the decision was made, yet they stated it “fell outside the timeframe.” It didn’t. The explanation of staff sickness should not excuse statutory deadlines.

For Child 2, the Ombudsman dismissed the fact that the annual review was late for the second consecutive year, ignoring that the Local Authority is legally responsible for ensuring annual reviews are held within 12 months (Reg 20). They also accepted the LA issuing a final EHCP with **none** of the professional updates, including missing OT and SALT recommendations, outdated assessments, incorrect year group, and no progress from the previous year.

I escalated both complaints to an Assessment Manager, which took extra time, but her responses were brief, dismissive, and made it clear she had not properly read my escalation or the evidence attached.

The delays have pushed back my right to appeal by many months, and my child’s Tribunal is now scheduled for late 2025. This is the predictable consequence of missed statutory deadlines, yet the Ombudsman dismissed this too.

My experience has shown a worrying lack of understanding of SEND law and a willingness to accept Local Authority explanations without proper scrutiny. The system urgently needs reform so that children with special educational needs and disabilities are properly protected and Local Authorities are held accountable when they fail to meet their legal duties.

If I could zero stars I would. I submitted a complaint earlier on this year which they wouldn’t accept as I hadn’t completed the councils complaints process- fair enough. I did then complete the councils complaints process and submitted a more robust complaint to the Ombudsman with plenty of evidence. Guess what they did- they only went and merged my two complaints together and investigated my original complaint. The outcome- you need to complete the councils complaints process. Absolute waste of time and not fit for purpose. They are difficult to get hold of, they ignore you, they don’t reply to any case messages you submit and just accept what the council tells them without question. There needs to be a public enquiry about them