Can We Trust the Ombudsman With Our Complaints?

By: Thomas Muller - Updated: 10 Sep 2020 | *Discuss Tweet

The local government ombudsmen are supposed to be there to represent the interests of the public but they have been accused of bias and maladministration. Can we really trust them with our complaints?

Watching the Watchmen

If somebody has an unresolved complaint about a local council then the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) is there to investigate whether it is justified, offer independent advice and act as an impartial referee between the two parties.

Or at least that is their appointed role - one group strongly believes that they are allied with the organisation they are assigned to guard and dismissive of those they are paid to protect.

The LGO Watch

The campaign consumer group, Local Government Ombudsman Watch (LGO Watch), has been set up in an effort to weed out bad practise within local English government by exposing the bias and maladministration within the Local Government Ombudsman’s office.

LGO Watch is far from the work of a few disgruntled complainants, even the LGO’s own customer satisfaction survey revealed that a whopping 73% of complainants were dissatisfied by the outcome of their individual cases. Since its founding in 2003, the Watch has amassed a legion of supporters nationwide, and a similar Scottish watch has since been set up to target the corruption in local government north of the border.

Pro-Council Bias Allegations

With less than 2% of submitted complaints declared by the LGO as maladministration, there is a certain weight to the claims that the tax-funded service is not wholly committed to securing justice for the public.

One reason the LGO Watch provides to explain allegations of pro-council bias within the office is the alarming fact that all three current LGOs were themselves previously chief executives of local authorities. In fact evidence shows that many of the LGO’s investigators previously worked in local government.

If you took a damning complaint about the local police force to an independent, publicly-funded investigation and adjudication group, would it be fair to have a former chief of that same organisation handle your case?

Citizen Insurance Support

The LGO Watch is further vindicated in their crusade by the ample correspondence they receive from citizens complaining about the LGO’s bias. Many of these people have suffered anguish and even illness by their experience with the watchdog.

The greatest source of grievance about local councils and the LGO is their unaccountability in dealing with the vulnerable members of society, such as those suffering economic hardship, poor health or substandard living conditions.

Other Watches

The LGO Watch is not alone in their surveillance over the bad practice of the LGO, other websites share their impassioned feelings of injustice and have set out to expose their misdemeanours. These include the LGO Reporter Blog, the Public Service Ombudsman Watches and Trevor R Nunn’s ‘Local Government Ombudsman Watcher’ page, which is dedicated to all those who have “suffered injustice because of the unfair, biased and unaccountable LGO”.

Is There A Solution?

It’s all very well highlighting the failings of the LGO but does the Watch have a realistic solution to the problem?

The LGO Watch calls for the closure of the LGO and its replacement with a genuinely independent local government complaints commission. This new office would not employ anybody with previous influence within the local council. The ideal of the group, and no doubt most of the public at large, would be for councils to have something to fear when people complain to the local government watchdog.

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Share Your Story, Join the Discussion or Seek Advice.. [Add a Comment]

Eva - 10-Sep-20 @ 11:14 AM Hi Housing, I reached out to Mr King using this email address: m.king@lgo.org.uk I received a follow up response from someone more senior Mr King had allocated the case to, but still a fob off. I’ve subsequently written to national media about this and am waiting to hear. It looks like a lot of people have been aggravated by the LGO. Is there a way to join up forces, maybe through this organisation, and start class action? I imagine we can find NGOs that will be willing to support with legal fees, etc.

OnaMission - 8-Sep-20 @ 11:41 AM Back in 2008 my son then aged 10 was starting to misbehave himself. Im a Single Parent. One day after being excluded from school I was taking him to Saturday school. He ran away from me, i eventually found him hiding in bushes. I snapped I was stressed depressed repressed I had no support in the new area we moved to 1.5 years before. I hit him with a belt to never do that againnot done before. He was shocked at my behaviour and called the police. I was going to leave my house and go somewhere else but i was too tired of everything. So I stayed and the Police Promptly came and arrested me. I didnt want Solicitor because I naively thought they will see my side and possibly offer support. They did not, instead they took my son said he should stay else where with family and I was charged with Common Assault.I worked in Social Care at the time Learning Disabilities. so I had to declare what happened coupled with the stress of what happened, what was happening, and me being mentally stressed & no one to talk to. This was when my worries were exacerbated when Social Services kept asking me to go to meetings and a someone kept coming every week to check on my son, during this for me i lost control how to discipline my son with all what was happening. My son saw this opportunity to continue with his badness with no repercussions from me only Social Service guidance telling me I cant be the strong mother i was. I did not hit my son growing up. We talked things over. I wanted him to learn reasoning and logic and discipline. My son is a Black Boy with a Useless father who paid for his upkeep but no presence or influence. Fast forward Social Services took me to court to take my son aged 12 completely or i have shared care. 7 years later my son amassed 40 Criminal Convictions and currently in jail for 15 years. Now if the Police investigated their charge they wouldve seen the scratches in my sons legs came from the Bushes he was hiding in. They said I did it with a belt. I love my son and would not hit him Viciously as they made out I did. I complained to IPCC about this but as Usual they declined my appeal that they were right and I was Wrong. The Police and Social Services F**** up my Childs life based on a discipline incident. NOT Abuse. They moved him 31 times in 5 years!!!! Which normal person can cope with that?much less a child. I needed help and No One offered me any only insults and Parenting Classes....I complained to the Social Services last year and they did not respond I have now gone to the Ombudsman awaiting their response. I am not happy with the presumptuous lying police (another incident they came to my home assaulted me and then they all lied and made me out to be a crazy screaming woman 2018 I work with Elderly now who love me The think they can do right & no wrong Social Services of Hammersmith and Fulham. I'm putting this out there "for the Rest of My Life I will make noise what you have done to me and mine" Until They accept Li

Housing - 24-Aug-20 @ 9:21 PM Hi Eva, I have read through the threads on this page & can totally relate to you recent problems regarding Newham council & it's complaints process & procedures. I have been trying to find a contact for Michael king in relation to a housing issue I have been in since November last year. Would be great to hear back from you & find out what channels to go down in order to bring this to the attention of Michael king....good luck with your complaint & I hope you get the answers you are looking for.

Ric - 22-Jul-20 @ 6:23 PM Guys, I'm setting up a Facebook page named NIMBY - as in; Not In My Back Yard ! Fancy taking your noise pollution/ commercial business in a residential area/ Antisocial behaviour/ Trading without a license/ Breaching Planning regulation - ridden issues and complaints to this Facebook page ? I've had enough of my local Council working for the millionaires, and had enough of the LGO taking liberties ! Come on, of we don't make noise on an independent platform - we will be never be heard, and that's what most councils want, for us to go away and die in a corner somewhere ! If you fancy letting off some steam and giving the Golden middle finger salute to your abusers sat at senior level of your Council then be my guest and send me a message on FB. Let's see what we can do. I'm not sticking around for this LGO rubbish.

Dave - 24-May-20 @ 3:42 PM The LGO are a complete waste of time and tax payer money they "Investigate" a fraction of the complaints they recieve prefering to use one of their well worn, well used excuses why they shouldn't investigate. They have a reason not to investigate regardless of your complaint and to cover every possible scenario. Their "Investigation" consists of a couple of phone calls to the authority concerned where they take their point without question, shelve it a few weeks making you think their investigating then tell you their not investigating for some rediculous reason. Local authorities encourage you to complain to the Ombudsmen because they know they won't do anything and their decision is final so you are totally stuffed. Local authorities won't improve while this system operates as they have nothing to fear from the LGO

Eva - 18-Apr-20 @ 3:55 PM I was left shocked by the response I received from the LGO on a complaint against Newham Council. I’ve just written to Michael King. I’m copying my final point below: Based on my dealings with the LGO, I believe you may be experiencing a culture problem in your organisation. Throughout my dealings with the LGO, I’ve felt a ‘fobbing-off’ attitude from your officers. I found the writing in your decisions to be an inaccurate and biased reflection of my complaint. I believe your officers have picked and chosen what to include in the decision write-up so as not to raise eyebrows when the decision is published on your website. I was left in shock that an organisation which is supposed to be about fairness can be so unfair and biased.

CrookedLawyers - 25-Feb-20 @ 3:20 PM Note to “Admin”: I don’t know if you have noticed this, but “Tony” left a long post on 9 Dec 19 @ 7:19 am which was duplicated , probably accidentally, straight after at 7:21 pm. Also, is this only meant for comments about the Local Government Ombudsman, otherwise why did you delete my detailed comment about the Legal Ombudsman yesterday, which has useful information, yet you left Tony’s duplicate untouched? Why not at least leave an explanation? Will you also delete this (which I have copied) also?

N - 27-Jan-20 @ 1:14 PM The log is a complete and utter joke and doesn’t Patrice what claims to deliver it has not got a clue about the equality act 2010 they think they are god you carnt speak to anyone you have to get a call back in my case that doesn’t work at all plus they don’t understand the equality and when you complain about there service Dumas your complain as not a complain they are all clueless for people who have disability and are ring illness and should be abolished

CorruptSystem - 17-Dec-19 @ 1:53 PM Part 2: It’s a completely dodgy and crooked process we are subjected to. They can dismiss a complaint they want to get rid of for no good reason using this Scheme Rule 5.7n. This is what investigator Elle Y and ombudswoman L Smith did to me. L Smith dismissed my complaint in a way that was highly dishonest, insulting, offensive and outrageous! They dismiss a lot of complaints using this Rule 5.7n! I wasn’t warned about this rule beforehand. They don't advertise it on the website, or in their correspondence or literature. When the investigator was supposed to come back to me with a preliminary decision, instead she wrote and told me she was going to ask an ombudsman to dismiss my case based on this rule. She gave me a deadline to write to say why this should not be done, but by that time I had read online of other people’s experiences with the Le O and whenever the time came for an ombudsman’s decision, people always said that “the ombudsman agreed with the investigator”, so I knew that once she asked her colleague to dismiss my case, it would be dismissed, no matter what I said. And it was. I have a document from the lawyers’ representative organisation, the Law Society, where they state that they provide 80% of the Legal Ombudsmans’ funding, so their salaries are paid by the lawyers they overwhelmingly favour. As a result 80% of lawyers are happy with their services, but only 36% of ethnic minority complainants, according to their own survey. They have only been given a very narrow remit of investigating “poor service”. They don’t deal with professional misconduct, bad ethics or malpractice. Complaints involving these are supposed to be given to the Solicitors Regulation Authority who are notorious and even worse than the Le O! The SRA hardly ever investigate complaints about solicitors! For example, in 2012 they rejected 94% of complaints. Most of the complaints they did not reject, the solicitors were only given a friendly "letter of advice" informing them they had done something wrong. Only 0.6% of all complained about were subject to any disciplinary procedure! This is, of course, pure corruption!! The situation has been like this because for hundreds of years the government and Parliament has allowed and enabled the legal profession to regulate itself, but if there is any profession which should never be allowed to regulate itself, it is surely the legal profession. You can download a pdf file of the Le O Scheme Rules from their website. I found that in dismissing complaints they adopt the “Blame the Victim” strategy. Investigator turned ombudswoman L. Smith condoned dishonest, abusive, manipulative and fraudulent behaviour from the most senior solicitor/director of wills and probate law firm Gedye & Sons in dismissing my complaint. She virtually acted as a spokeswoman for the firm. When I told investigator E. Yates that the Risk Manager of Gedye & Sons had lied to me by telling me if I went to the Legal Ombudsman, I would be c

Tony - 9-Dec-19 @ 7:21 AM I have been in regular correspondence since June 2018 about a car breakers yard operating in my street. I was told, immediately, by Luton Borough Council's Head if Licensing that the business was operating without licence or planning permission. On investigation I quickly found out that it was also working without a waste disposal licence. After lengthy email and phone discussions with Licensing, and being told that "various departments ha e visited sute",I was eventually told, "Notice has been served". THAT was in July 2018! LBC' s Head of Planning then became involved along with a local councillor. After much discussion, scores and scores of emails; formal online complaints on LBC's web site and complaints to the LGO,I was told in September 2019that "Notice has been served" AGAIN!. That notice is due to expire on 17th December, which, I believe means the yard should close. I have little to no faith this will happen. Throughout this whole process, I have been complaining about the knock-on effects of this business, like wrecks being parked, some without tax, some on double yellow lines, on streets all over this ward. I discovered that the end user for these activities is Euro Parts, a multi-million pound business with a huge warehouse here in Luton! I have sent dozens of photos along with my complaints over the last 18 months - vehicles, including the several car transporters being used, parked on double yellow lines; vehicles with exposed engine compartments with sharp ragged metal edges. All Luton Borough have done is sent staff around advising them of my complaints and pointing out how to lower their profile. Local Governments were totally exposed to corruption in the 60's and are well overdue for a repeat. WHY would a council allow, indeed assist, a multi-million pound company to operate a car breakers yard in a densely populated residential area, without planning permission or licence? And why does DEFRA allow them to operate without a waste disposal licence after their initial response that they would take action against them? And why, after all this time has the LGO allowed it to go on? My councillor stopped responding to me in July so I informed them I would withhold council tax payments till normal service was resumed. I made an official complaint about this too but heard nothing from them. I have now £850 in a seperate online account waiting to be released when I get some satisfaction but, as yet, can't see where this will end up. From where I stand these people are all in it together. They control the ombudsman, police, local press my MP, who is an "old buddy" of my tongue tied councillor, and magistrates! What chance do the paying public have!!!? They're all CORRUPT and it STINKS!

Tony - 9-Dec-19 @ 7:19 AM I have been in regular correspondence since June 2018 about a car breakers yard operating in my street. I was told, immediately, by Luton Borough Council's Head if Licensing that the business was operating without licence or planning permission. On investigation I quickly found out that it was also working without a waste disposal licence. After lengthy email and phone discussions with Licensing, and being told that "various departments ha e visited sute",I was eventually told, "Notice has been served". THAT was in July 2018! LBC' s Head of Planning then became involved along with a local councillor. After much discussion, scores and scores of emails; formal online complaints on LBC's web site and complaints to the LGO,I was told in September 2019that "Notice has been served" AGAIN!. That notice is due to expire on 17th December, which, I believe means the yard should close. I have little to no faith this will happen. Throughout this whole process, I have been complaining about the knock-on effects of this business, like wrecks being parked, some without tax, some on double yellow lines, on streets all over this ward. I discovered that the end user for these activities is Euro Parts, a multi-million pound business with a huge warehouse here in Luton! I have sent dozens of photos along with my complaints over the last 18 months - vehicles, including the several car transporters being used, parked on double yellow lines; vehicles with exposed engine compartments with sharp ragged metal edges. All Luton Borough have done is sent staff around advising them of my complaints and pointing out how to lower their profile. Local Governments were totally exposed to corruption in the 60's and are well overdue for a repeat. WHY would a council allow, indeed assist, a multi-million pound company to operate a car breakers yard in a densely populated residential area, without planning permission or licence? And why does DEFRA allow them to operate without a waste disposal licence after their initial response that they would take action against them? And why, after all this time has the LGO allowed it to go on? My councillor stopped responding to me in July so I informed them I would withhold council tax payments till normal service was resumed. I made an official complaint about this too but heard nothing from them. I have now £850 in a seperate online account waiting to be released when I get some satisfaction but, as yet, can't see where this will end up. From where I stand these people are all in it together. They control the ombudsman, police, local press my MP, who is an "old buddy" of my tongue tied councillor, and magistrates! What chance do the paying public have!!!? They're all CORRUPT and it STINKS!

Ste - 28-Nov-19 @ 4:29 PM I can only echo the comments of everyone,when you think that they possibly can'tgive you another brush off they do whither their clever talk.The lengths the council will take to cover up wrong doing is disturbing and your left feeling isolated and helpless.whan a simple investigation can reveal the truth and could be addressed before it snowballs and made worse because now it shows that councils are above the law.The whole thing has prevented me from whistleblowing because I've lost all confidence and trust. All of this hurts and affects your wellbeing because you have none else to turn to or you get remarks from people who think you should just let it go.

LeeW - 22-Nov-19 @ 3:48 PM Yes, certainly change.org should be used, I'd be up for that. The thing would be to send links to relevant articles on online newspapers once it's going. Those of us let down by an ombudsman probably feel largely isolated - I did till I started finding sites like this. I don't know what this site permits in terms of contact - I can't even see how some posts here seem to have been made as replies.

FM - 20-Nov-19 @ 9:57 PM I agree with the various posts outlined above, about the possibility of a petition. A 100,000 signatures is enough to get to the heart of government - and a hearing in the House of Commons.The upheaval we have all had to go through at the hands of the Local Government Ombudsman is totally unacceptable, and only the Central Government can make them change their procedures.I also agree with the admission in some of the posts listed above, that the LGO should be shut down and replaced with a more reliable organisation.Everyone deserves better service than this.What about starting a petition via Change.org.uk?I have used the website and signed a number of petitions in this way - all they ask is for a minimum of 3 people to start it, and you canopt out of making a donation.Any interest?

Iggyica - 8-Nov-19 @ 6:11 PM I have had children taken off me by the state. Several months (8 months actually) prior I asked for an assessment that should be provided (if asked) which is in statute law.(Children Act 17ZD if you’re interested). It was never done. After those 8 months, we ended up in court ultimately losing my children to forced adoption. 18 months later, Judicial proceedings concluded I complain to the statutory authorities about that assessment not being provided. I have to give them their ‘due process’. The Local Authority Complaints team not investigating because it’s ‘been discussed in court’. So, I escalate my complaint to the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman as we all know are there to investigate failings by the Local Authority. They are not going to investigate because, you guessed it, ‘discussed in court’. At no point has the Local Authority been held to account for not providing this assessment. As a consequence of not doing so, a family has been torn apart. I should point out, it’s fair to say we had a lot of support from the local authority, but because the assessment wasn’t done, insufficient to meet relevant needs and other routes prior to one as draconian as shredding a family to pieces. It appears, similar to other comments, the Ombudsman has assessed the complaint and found a way to back out of punishing those they should be holding to account. So, once again but at additional cost, time and emotional expense I’m escalating the matter to a high court for a judicial review.

Mar - 8-Nov-19 @ 11:09 AM In my experience, it is highly unlikely that a solicitor would take a case like this on, the risk involved is too high and costs could escalate out of control.The amount of research and documentation required to support the witness statements would make it virtually impossible for the average person to proceed down the legal route.You can make your case independently but the time lines are tight and if you have a full time job and family matters to deal with this is also virtually impossible.

Justice4all - 7-Nov-19 @ 10:00 PM In my experience The Ombudsman were a complete waste of time! you want something dealt with fairly go see a solicitor.

Mar - 6-Nov-19 @ 11:30 AM I have now received my final response from the LGO regarding a complaint about flawed planning documents and no response received from the council to my Stage 2 complaint.The development that the council allowed was huge and quite literally on my front door step.The council blocked me in so much that I never saw the dustman, postman or daylight for the best part of 3 years. A clear breach of my human rights but the LGO has sent me a letter that addresses no part of my complaint.Apparently, they can choose what they investigate and what evidence they look at.I am horrified and now realise why the council laughed, lied and mocked me all the way through my awful distress. Shut the LGO down, no one get a fair outcome, nothing in the final response is accurate.To add insult to injury, their final response includes inaccuracies about how I felt and what I thought.It is the covering letter that contains more detail on my real complaint but of course, this will never be seen by anyone but me!How disgusting is this system that allows and aids unlawful behaviours and stamps on the people it should be protecting.I feel angry and betrayed by a system that is hard to challenge.

LeeW - 30-Oct-19 @ 3:15 PM I'm tempted to say I think we need one of these online petition sites involved, but sadly though I am oddly inspired to read of others in the same place when I'd felt alone in all this constant unchecked misconduct, I would think we are still fairly isolated, with many victims of misconduct probably not even beginning to complain. I'm making notes for an article on this matter, something to polish enough for publication in a printed national newspaper, and am thinking it might be good to pool experiences. I don't know if I can leave contact email here so I will just send this for now and see if there's interest. I've looked at the Transparency International website though and will be sending them my details in the hope that it can be among others' ripples. As far as I'm concerned the LGO and the housing ombudsman, identical in their practices, should be shut down immediately - nothing justifies their current existence. Public money being spent on stitching us up is an outrage. Imagine working for them too, a pathetic and shabby existence.

Bea - 30-Oct-19 @ 11:38 AM I agree, the LGO should be closed down in favour of an impartial group. I have just received the final decision after spending a a full day responding to the draft decision where the LGO found wholeheartedly in favour of the SLDC. These Councils know they are untouchable and with the backing of the LGO. It is a total fiasco. Don't waste your time or your life under the impression that your complaint will be considered, that decision has already been made. I was warned before I started the process but thought I would give it a try. I can see by all the comments here, that other people thought the same as me. If you have the money, go to a solicitor as you won't get anywhere with the LGO

Bea - 30-Oct-19 @ 11:29 AM I wholeheartedly agree with the other comments. The LGO Ombudsman should be closed down and a totally impartial body set up in it's place. I have just received the final decision from the LGO after spending a whole day supplying even more information on the investigator's draft decision where she found completely for the Council. These Councils appear to be untouchables and can make decisions when they know full well, the public do not have a leg to stand on as they have the full backing of the LGO Ombudsman. Unless we have thousands to spend on solicitors, and who does these day?, this fiasco is a complete waste of your life. Somebody did warn me before I contacted the Ombudsman but I thought I would give it a try. How wrong I was andcan see now by all these comments that it is just an exercise they hsve you going through but the decision has already been made!!

LeeW - 25-Oct-19 @ 5:07 PM I have been in a dispute with my local council for nearly four years and have followed 'procedure' including its internal complaints fiasco, which led to blatant and stupid stonewalling from start to finish, on to engagement with the housing ombudsman, which did not even deal with my central complaint, that two staff lied about what went on in a meeting we had at which I was coerced to return to my flat when unsafe. The police would not investigate despite this fraudulent representation of the meeting legally constituting fraud, malpractice in office. I was then banned from the Civic Centre as a reaction to my angry emails and letters (none of them making threats other than regarding legal consequences and that I would not give up). The main liar complained that I had caused distress when she had at that point caused me three years of distress. Crocodile tears if ever there were some. I made a Subject Access Request (do this, you may be shocked at the results) to obtain emails that went between the ombudsman and council and saw blatant character assassination and crass bigotry. I approached the local government ombudsman about the banning and they have after brief and negligent discussion declined to process my case. I am now making a complaint about that and thinking about what to do next. We should, by rights, in these situations be assigned legal representation, automatically. The situation has impacted greatly on my health. Stress leaves me with three hours sleep a night if I'm lucky. I too want the ombudsman 'services' closed down and replaced with something impartial, staffed by conscientious human rights lawyers and people of that ilk. I am often weighed down badly by all this, but googling corrupt council and finding this site in particular has fired me up. Best wishes all.

Chiminee - 5-Oct-19 @ 12:38 AM Still persevering with LGO's assessment stage, I honestly feel as though the so called 'investigator' is only going through the motions and has already decided in favour of the council. But I shall carry on, even though the stress is seriously affecting my health. This whole situation was caused by the failings of the local council to thoroughly investigate an extremely serious wrongdoing by 2 members of their staff. Update as and when!

Retired Solicitor - 25-Sep-19 @ 10:55 PM I am a retired solicitor who has had to deal with the LGO with regard to a number of personal matters not least relating to safeguarding failures relating to when my 94 year old mother (who has a diagnosis of Alzheimers) was a patient in an NHS Hospital and also safeguarding failures on the part of the care home where my mother is a private fee paying resident.Further I also had to deal with the LGO relating to DOLS imposed upon my mother by Staffordshire county council who unlawfully impose a DOLS.I have never come across such an incompetent biased self protecting organisation and its leader Michael King is morally and ethically corrupt

Chiminee - 9-Sep-19 @ 6:03 PM Please advise if any one can offer advice, help etc. I have just endured the LGO' complaint procedure. A NIGHTMARE ??????. Patiently went through the delays , apparently a substantial backlog of complaints about councils, as my complaint was. Gave them information that was one hundred percent truthful and correct. Now been informed they not even going to consider my complaint for investigation. Honestly thought I was going to have a heart attack. I am now at stage where I have challenged their second draft and have been given till 27th September to seek advice ( the first time limit was shorter, till I said it wasn't enough time. I am in my 70's and have health problems so you can imagine the pressure and stress I am experiencing. I seriously think whatever information they receive from myself they have already decided to deny my very serious complaint .

Jay - 28-Aug-19 @ 5:28 PM We have email evidence of Telford and Wrekin council lies and corruption. They have admitted they didn’t follow procedures and admitted they lied and apologised and admitted they fell short of the service. We had a a street trading consent and our business was doing well . They aided another trader to take over our business and even aided him in letting him trade under our street trading consent. The corruption is evidenced in their correspondence. We took this to the ombudsman who we believe did no investigation and aided the council and even though they had admitted all of the above the ombudsman found in the councils favour. They say they are impartial! We requested it to be reviewed and requested it go to the lead ombudsman which they have refused. Even the ombudsman got important facts and dates wrong and the ombudsman fabricated things to aide the council when we corrected this and asked where they had got this false information from they refused to answer. The council and the ombudsman are as corrupt as each other it is absolutely disgusting. We don’t know what we can do now

First for Accountabi - 22-Aug-19 @ 12:15 AM Many years I gave evidence to the select committee pre the conduct disclosed by GRG in banking. However whilst we recommended the strengthening of accountability; the Local Government Ombudsman, in whatever label best suits them, fail to grasp even the basic concept in Human Rights (article 6) and or misfeasance of public office. I lodged my complaint with the trepidation that the Ombudsman always appears to be weighted towards those one complains about; and in my complaint this was borne out. Lying to the court was acceptable. Lying in a sworn statement did not turn an eye. Clear case of maladministration, failing to respond to letters over 6 months was equally weighted in favour of the Council. The caseworker was of such low accord, he even did not understand the law surrounding the rating system. Frankly it is hardly surprising one comes across the arrogance of some (not all) council officials. They are truly untouchable in my area. The disgrace is that it frankly is not worth the effort in the time it takes even keeping matters succinct leads to a lack of understanding of the law let alone any remedies. It is time to review the service of the Ombudsman as a blatant unlawful activity is fully supported by the Ombudsman. Of course a Judicial Review will produce (if successful)an Order for the Ombudsman to reconsider the compliant; and often you get the same decision in a slightly different format. Like many of the banks the local authorities are free to mistreat the public as clearlythose whose task it is to address the wrongdoing are either too lazy to read the papers and investigate the compliant as they look to take the easier route of (we do not uphold your complaint) rejecting a complaint.

Rufus - 14-Aug-19 @ 8:25 PM The LGO refused to even investigate my case, citing that they did not have the remit or jurisdiction to investigate a school complaint.It is NOT a school complaint, it's a complaint regarding a specific department within the LA, and their acute maladministration.This has been pointed out and evidence provided time and again, but the alleged 'investigator' simply reels off yet another pointless email repeating the same gibberish, whilst avoiding my questions.I don't even have the option of appealing, because they refused to take the matter on in the first instance - but of course, are still intent on publishing their investigation of nothingness.Who are these untrained sheeple?Incapable of thinking, and reading off a card.One cannot reason with unreasonable people.

Jay - 14-Aug-19 @ 5:47 PM We have email evidence of Telford and Wrekin council lies and corruption. They have admitted they didn’t follow procedures and admitted they lied and apologised and admitted they fell short of the service. We had a a street trading consent and our business was doing well . They aided another trader to take over our business and even aided him in letting him trade under our street trading consent. The corruption is evidenced in their correspondence. We took this to the ombudsman who we believe did no investigation and aided the council and even though they had admitted all of the above the ombudsman found in the councils favour. They say they are impartial! We requested it to be reviewed and requested it go to the lead ombudsman which they have refused. Even the ombudsman got important facts and dates wrong and the ombudsman fabricated things to aide the council when we corrected this and asked where they had got this false information from they refused to answer. The council and the ombudsman are as corrupt as each other it is absolutely disgusting. We don’t know what we can do now

kushempress - 8-Aug-19 @ 7:32 PM The Local Government Ombudesman has referred my complaint regarding Lambeth Children's Social Services back to the Lambeth, I originally submitted my formal complaint to Lambeth Local Authority in excess of one year ago. Lambeth Children's Social Services were in breach of complying with sec17 Children Act 89 . I am convinced the Local government ombudsmen service have colluded and advised Lambeth Children's Social Services how to block my complaint from following due process according to Lambeth's complaints procedures. This really is not a free and fair society for all regardless of class, gender , disability , political persuasion and race.