MPs call for further Local Government Ombudsman reforms

15 Jan 14
The Local Government Ombudsman still needs to raise its game ‘significantly’ if it is to become an efficient arbitrator of complaints about council services, the communities and local government committee said today

By Vivienne Russell | 15 January 2014

The Local Government Ombudsman still needs to raise its game ‘significantly’ if it is to become an efficient arbitrator of complaints about council services, the communities and local government committee said today.

Clive Betts

In a follow-up to its July 2012 report, the MPs noted that the ombudsman had made ‘considerable efforts’ to respond to their recommendations. The earlier report highlighted decision-making delays and a lack of transparency and warned this could undermine the LGO’s authority and credibility.

Speaking today, committee chair Clive Betts said: ‘In 2012, we found an organisation responsible for investigating maladministration in serious danger of being guilty of maladministration itself. Since then it has made a concerted effort to improve and become more accountable, efficient and transparent.

‘But the LGO cannot afford to rest on its laurels. Further work remains to be done if it is to totally quell the committee’s concerns and fully restore public confidence in its work.’

The committee made four recommendations today, which it said would help the LGO continue to improve. 

These were: full publication of its staff survey, rather than in summary form; external review of the timeliness of decisions and case-handling quality control; appointing at least one independent member to the LGO’s oversight board; and an independent evaluation of complaints, focused on systems and services.

Local Government Ombudsman Jane Martin welcomed the MPs’ recognition of the progress made so far.

‘As a result, the public can be confident that they will continue to receive a fair and effective consideration of their complaints about local public services and social care,’ she said.

‘However, in an increasingly complex public sector landscape there is a need to ensure that there is a clear and consistent route to redress for users of all public services in England. The changes we have made place us in a strong position to work with others to deliver a more joined up and accessible public services complaints system.’

The ombudsman added that the results of its most recent staff survey, carried out at the end of 2013, would be published on the LGO website on January 31.

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