How local authorities can unlock the potential of data
Dan Thompson explores how local authorities can tap into the value of the data at their fingertips.
Sheffield Council to compensate family after 'catalogue of errors' in education provision
05/11/2020 Sheffield Council has been asked to pay £20,000 in compensation after it failed to provide a suitable education for a boy with special educational needs. |
Housing Ombudsman names six councils with highest number of maladministration findings
07/09/2020 A new report from the housing Ombudsman has found that maladministration in the handling of complaints by landlords is the area of ‘most consistent concern’. |
Ombudsman will re-open for complaints about councils from next week
26/06/2020 The ombudsman that investigates problems with local authorities will resume accepting new complaints from next week. |
New guidance to help councils deal with complaints during crisis
05/05/2020 Councils and care providers have been reminded to keep responding to complaints during the coronavirus pandemic. |
Family ‘left in distress’ after council fails to investigate noise complaint
29/01/2020 A council in West Northamptonshire has been criticized by the Ombudsman for its handling of a noise complaint from residents living near an industrial estate. |
Ombudsman upholds two thirds of care complaints
19/09/2019 But despite this complaints about care have fallen and in the vast majority of cases his recommendations are carried out, council leaders say. |
Council criticised after SEN child left without education for over a year
12/09/2019 Worcestershire CC complaints policy has been criticised after a boy with special educational needs was left without appropriate education for 14 months. |
Ombudsman criticises county for failing to complete agreed remedy
04/09/2019 Staffordshire County Council has come under fire from the local government ombudsman for failing to carry out remedies agreed following an investigation. |
Children’s services top list of complaints against councils
31/07/2019 Official complaints about children’s services and adult social care have topped an annual review of local government complaints for 2018-19. |
Ombudsman tells councils to ‘be clear’ about home-schooling visits
18/07/2019 Councils must be clear with parents of home-schooled children whether home visits are routine or triggered by specific concerns, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said. |
Social housing tenants ‘failed’ by poor regulation
10/06/2019 Social housing tenants are being forced to report the same problem with their home multiple times, a housing charity has warned today. |
Ombudsman welcomes move to streamline complaints
31/05/2019 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has welcomed a decision by the trade body representing bailiffs to give up dealing with complaints from members of the public. |
Councillor resigns amid anti-Semitism row
03/04/2019 A Labour councillor who was deselected has resigned accusing the local party of not dealing with complaints of racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia. |
Ombudsman publishes guide for handling social care complaints
15/03/2019 Directors of adult social services have welcomed the publication of a good practice guide for helping adult social care providers improve complaints handling. |
Watchdog warns people regret not raising concerns about their care
19/02/2019 Nearly seven million people who have accessed health and social care services in the past five years have had concerns about their care but never raised them, according to new research. |
Carers leave vulnerable woman ‘screaming in pain'
09/01/2019 A vulnerable woman in Blackpool was left with serious burns on her leg after carers left her too close to a hot radiator, the local government Ombudsman has found. |
Saying sorry goes a long way
04/12/2018 Mark Whitehead calls on councils to make a direct apology to the public when something goes wrong. |
Council chief says on YouTube: 'I'm sorry about bin chaos'
28/11/2018 A council leader has gone online to apologise to residents over chaos caused by a reorganisation of bin collections. |
Councils must act on care service complaints, ombudsman says
28/11/2018 Councils facing a rising tide of complaints from the public about care services must listen to them and take action, the government regulator has warned. |
A sign of cutting corners?
09/10/2018 With figures revealing the number of complaints about local councils are on the rise, what does this say about the performance of the sector? Neil Merrick investigates. |
Northants council-owned company spends ‘thousands’ on luxury events
11/09/2018 An investigation has been launched after it was revealed a company belonging to cash-strapped Northamptonshire CC spent ‘thousands’ on luxury events. |
One man lodges 673 complaints about local council
14/08/2018 A Hull man may hold the record for complaining about his local council. |
In-house mediation service at Suffolk
24/07/2018 Sally Marlow and Helen Muddock look at how Suffolk County Council created a 'mediation culture' to deal with staff complaints. |
Nearly 60% of investigations against councils upheld by Ombudsman
12/07/2018 Over half of the investigations into complaints against local authorities were upheld in 2017-18, according to new figures. |
Council installs CCTV after library sex incident
25/04/2018 Isle of Wight Council has been forced to upgrade security measures at a local library after a couple were caught having sex among the bookshelves. |
Cheshire councillor investigating misconduct suspended
13/04/2018 The Cheshire East Council councillor investigating two senior officers over concerns about the way contracts were awarded has been asked to ‘step down’. |
Council criticised for procurement ‘maladministration’
11/04/2018 A council in Northern Ireland has been criticised for ‘maladministration’ in its procurement of stewarding services. |
Councils urged to be clear on care home costs
11/01/2018 Councils have been reminded to give families accurate information about care home fees by the ombudsman, following a complaint against Lincolnshire County Council. |
Council investigates after extremist makes video announcement from Mayor’s chair
10/01/2018 Belfast City Council is investigating a video made by the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First which was shot while she sat in the Lord Mayor's chair. |
Councils acting 'positively' on social care complaints
20/11/2017 Councils and care providers implemented more than 1,300 recommendations to put things right for people who complained to the local government ombudsman last year. |
Councils taking a week to deal with waste complaints, survey reveals
10/10/2017 More than third of people have complained to their local council about a problem with waste and recycling services, a new survey has revealed. |
Campaigners call for inquiry into councils' 'toxic' loans
25/09/2017 Residents have raised objections against risky high-interest loans in 46 local authorities, campaigners have revealed. |
Council criticised after reducing care for autistic brothers without consulting mother
07/09/2017 A London council has been criticised for reducing the care and support packages of two autistic brothers without involving their mother in the decision. |
Residents opt for phone to contact council about missed bin collections
09/08/2017 People would prefer to call their local council if complaining about a missed waste or recycling collection, a survey has revealed. |
Councils urged to scrutinise data on complaints
02/08/2017 The number of complaints about councils that have been investigated and upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has increased this year, new figures have revealed. |
Vulnerable adults let down by ‘poor’ social work, ombudsman says
19/07/2017 Vulnerable adults are being let down by ‘poor’ social work practice, Ombudsman reports. |
Petition calls on tower blaze council cabinet to quit
18/07/2017 A petition with more than 1,500 signatures has demanded the entire cabinet at Kensington & Chelsea RLBC should quit over its handling of the Grenfell fire. |
Council orders probe into voting problems
14/06/2017 An investigation has been commissioned by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council after problems were raised with people voting in the General Election. |
One in five waste issues take over a week to resolve, survey reveals
12/06/2017 Over 20% of all waste and recycling issues raised by the public take more than a week to resolve, a new survey reveals. |
Tory councillor suspended after racist Eurovision tweet
15/05/2017 A Conservative councillor has been suspended following a racist tweet he made during the Eurovision song contest. |
Controversy over council decision to cut down Queen Mother’s trees
03/02/2017 Northumberland council has been criticised for cutting down trees that were planted in the Queen Mother’s honour. |
Councillor suspended for lewd comments made to hunting campaigner
26/01/2017 A Conservative councillor has been suspended from Breckland Council after being filmed making lewd comments at a hunting protester. |
Council apologises after Christmas council tax error
12/01/2017 Stroud council has issued an apology after a direct debit error meant they took council tax payments early from over 5,700 bank accounts two days before Christmas. |
New ombudsman pledges to help councils repeating same mistakes
11/01/2017 Michael King has been appointed as the new Local Government Ombudsman, pledging to help councils learn from complaints about services. |
Council criticised after woman in care home left ‘malnourished’
05/01/2017 Wokingham council has been told to pay out thousands in compensation after a woman was left ‘severely malnourished’ and bored during a stay in a care home. |
Watchdog sets out how combined authorities can improve complaints system
14/12/2016 Combined authorities have been urged to adopt a 'no wrong door' attitude to complaints by the Local Government Ombudsman. |
Ombudsman reports ‘dramatic’ increase in home care complaints
10/11/2016 There has been a 25% rise in complaints about the home care received by some of the most vulnerable people in England over the past year, Ombudsman reports. |
Council mistakenly sends residents link to x-rated site
28/10/2016 A Suffolk council has apologised after mistakenly asking residents to log on to an X-rated pornographic website. |
Nearly 50% of the public have complained about their local roads, survey shows
21/10/2016 A new survey has revealed 44% of people polled had complained to their local authority at least once about the state of their local road network. |
Council's anti-begging posters banned for being ‘offensive’
28/09/2016 Four council posters aimed at tackling begging in Nottingham have been banned for being ‘likely to cause serious or widespread offence.’ |
24 councils could face legal action over high-interest loans
23/08/2016 Residents from 24 different local authorities have mounted legal objections to the use of the controversial high-interest Lender Option, Borrower Option (LOBO) loans by councils. |
Landlord fined thousands by council for ‘cramming’ 24 people in a house
17/08/2016 A rogue landlord faces a court bill of almost £40,000 after being caught cramming 24 people into a house in Wembley. |
Council chief releases report into baby ashes scandal
17/08/2016 The chief executive of Aberdeen City Council has vowed to implement a ‘culture change’ of management in the wake of the baby ashes scandal. |
Kent first approved council to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution services
10/08/2016 Kent has become the first local authority to be approved to provide Alternative Dispute Resolution services to consumers in a bid to resolve their complaints with traders. |
Upheld complaints against councils on the rise
28/07/2016 The number of investigations upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman has risen by 5%, according the watchdog’s latest statistics. |
Council dismisses Sherwood Forest migrant camp story
04/07/2016 Nottinghamshire CC has dismissed rumours about an illegal migrant camp in Sherword Forest as untrue. |
Ombudsman issues first joint investigation report
30/06/2016 The Local Government Ombudsman has ruled Oxfordshire County Council failed to properly follow up a complaint about the neglect in its first joint investigation of a care home and a local authority. |
Council chief apologises after baby ashes report
29/06/2016 The chief executive of Aberdeen City Council has apologised unreservedly after a report heavily criticised how babies were cremated at local facilities. |
Councillor suspended for offensive Jo Cox comment
22/06/2016 A Yorkshire councillor has been suspended after he made offensive comments about the charity fund set up in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox. |
Council breaks tie with legal firm following inappropriate tweets
14/06/2016 Cambridgeshire County Council has said it will no longer use the services of legal firm Baker Small, following inappropriate tweets it made about SEND tribunals. |
Councils warned to keep track of enforcement action
07/06/2016 An investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has uncovered a backlog of 1,500 open enforcement cases at a London borough. |
Council accused of 'bias' over EU voting guide
31/05/2016 Bristol City Council has been forced to amend an EU referendum voting guide, after claims it was biased towards the Remain campaign. |
Families slate 'lack of action' following Winterbourne View scandal
31/05/2016 The families of victims abused at Winterbourne View hospital have called on the prime minister to close ‘outdated’ care facilities. |
County faces legal challenge over cuts to children's centres
25/05/2016 Oxfordshire County Council is facing a legal challenge over its plans to cut the number of children’s centres in the county. |
Barnet couldn’t ‘run a whelk stall’ let alone EU vote, Assembly says
13/05/2016 Barnet should not be allowed to oversee the EU referendum after the ‘chaos’ of their local elections, the London Assembly says. |
Sexist hat-based tradition causes controversy
10/05/2016 A row over double standards in a Norfolk council has erupted after a councillor complained women have to ask permission from the mayor before removing ceremonial hat—but men don’t. |
Barnet launches investigation into voting problems
06/05/2016 Barnet Council have promised an investigation into how the wrong electoral registration lists were sent to polling station yesterday. |
Voters turned away from polling stations in Barnet
05/05/2016 The local elections in Barnet have been branded a ‘shambles’, after the council sent out the wrong electoral lists to polling stations. |
Residents should ‘watch their posteriors’ when nature calls, councillor warns
21/04/2016 A councillor has warned residents of Cork to ‘watch their posteriors’ after a man was bitten by a rat while using his toilet. |
Council suspends employment scheme for behaving like 'a Victorian workhouse'
07/04/2016 A Scottish council has suspended a controversial employment scheme after revelations it was fining jobseekers for tutting and chewing gum. |
Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl backs band in council noise row
24/03/2016 Dave Grohl, lead singer of the Foo Fighters, has called on Cornwall Council to relax its noise restrictions after a young rock band said they were banned from rehearsing in their garage. |
Report highlights problems with Disabled Facilities Grants process
18/03/2016 Councils have been urged to improve the way they process Disabled Facilities Grants, with a new report saying delays are leaving disabled people in unsuitable homes for too long. |
Council hails success of DNA dog poo testing
18/03/2016 The DNA testing of dog poo has helped a London borough reduce dog mess in its parks by 50%. |
Campaigners welcome move to protect music venues from noise complaints
15/03/2016 Music industry campaigners have welcomed changes to planning legislation, which will require developers to seek prior approval on noise impacts before a change in use is carried out. |
Chris Evans apologises for Top Gear Cenotaph stunt
14/03/2016 Chris Evans has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for the Top Gear pictures which seemed to show a wheel spin being done next to the Cenotaph in London. |
Government should lead the way in encouraging whistleblowers, report says
11/03/2016 The Government must do more to create the right environment for public sector whistleblowers to come forward, a new report says. |
Council policy changes must be communicated clearly, ombudsman urges
25/02/2016 Information about a council’s new transport policy ‘could have been clearer’, according to the local government ombudsman (LGO). |
Councils urged to reconsider changes to housing allocation schemes
27/01/2016 Changes to the way councils allocate social housing have led to an increase in the number of complaints made to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). |
Ombudsman calls for clearer advice on disability payments
21/01/2016 Adult social care teams have been urged to ensure they provide clear advice on disability payments following the case of a woman who was left without proper care and support. |
Owner of £15m Kensington property ordered to repaint red and white-striped house
12/01/2016 The owner of eccentrically painted house in a conservation area has been ordered to repaint property by court after neighbours complained to the council. |
Report warns older people too scared to complain about care
04/01/2016 Older people are often too afraid to complain about the level of care they receive, worrying a complaint will make the situation worse, a new report has warned. |
Doncaster Council warned for failing to support homeless young people
15/12/2015 Doncaster Council has been criticised for the second time in two years for failing to provide adequate support to homeless young people. |
Councils ranked among the worst for customer services
09/12/2015 Local authorities have been ranked as one of the worst sector’s in the UK for customer service. |
Council to investigate after children at 'risk of radicalisation' are named
01/12/2015 Waltham Forest Council is conducting an investigation after the names of school pupils at risk of being radicalised were made public. |
Woman charged £6,500 for one hour of parking
19/11/2015 An accountant was charged over £6,000 for one hour of parking while she paid a visit to her financial advisor. |
Report shows increase in adult social care complaints
12/11/2015 The number of complaints about adult social care has risen by 18% in the past year, according to new figures published today. |
David Cameron involved in row with local council over cuts
12/11/2015 Prime minister David Cameron has come under fire after complaining about cuts to frontline services by his Conservative-run local council. |
Man ejected from Penzance Town Council Meeting in 'horrendous' scene
05/11/2015 Security guards forcibly removed a man from a town council meeting in Penzance for speaking out of turn last Tuesday. |
Sex toy forces closure of council bake sale
02/11/2015 A council bake sale was abandoned last Friday after a sex toy was discovered in one of the cakes. |
Public say cuts have not affected local services
29/10/2015 The majority of the public have not noticed a decline in local services over the past five years despite councils seeing massive reductions in budgets. |
Peperami dubbed an 'environmental animal' by council
13/10/2015 Richmond Council has warned it is spending thousands of pounds cleaning up Peperami’s Rugby World Cup giveaway. |
Hackney Council postpones fox cull after public backlash
09/10/2015 Hackney Council has temporarily removed fox traps from Clissold Park deer enclosure after criticism from animal rights groups and a petition from the public. |
Councils reminded they cannot contract out accountability
08/10/2015 The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has reminded councils that they are responsible for the quality of services provided by outside contractors. |
Councils warned to promptly deal with homelessness applications
08/10/2015 The London Borough of Hounslow has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) after it took more than a year to determine someone homeless status. |
Ombudsman warns families are being overcharged for care
24/09/2015 Confusing or incorrect information from councils is leading to families being overcharged for care, the Local Government Ombudsman has claimed. |
Ombudsman warns Lambeth over nine-year flat sale saga
22/09/2015 Lambeth Council has been criticised for repeatedly ignoring the advice of the Local Government Ombudsman over the treatment of a woman who was trying to buy her local authority flat. |
Petition triggers mayoral referendum
07/09/2015 A referendum on having an elected mayor for Bath and North East Somerset will go ahead following a successful petition from campaigners. |
Birds of prey mobilised to see off Sunderland’s seagulls
28/08/2015 Eagles and hawks are being used to patrol a park in Sunderland in a bid to rid it of seagulls. |
134,000 people urge council: ‘Don’t shoot Oki the lonely deer’
21/08/2015 A petition urging a council not to shoot a ‘lonely’ deer named Oki has received over 134,000 signatures. |
Council officer quits after claiming soldiers will take drugs and fight
17/08/2015 A council officer recorded saying local soldiers will take drugs, get drunk and fight has quit his job at the local authority. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
