Digital Transformation, AI and Local Government: The Case for Workforce Upskilling
The new LocalGov and Multiverse report explores how workforce upskilling is driving smarter, more efficient, and inclusive local government transformation.
Parish council pays residents £100k plus for park-plaints
17/11/2025 A council has been ordered to grant £130,000 to residents following noise complaints about games in a children’s park. |
Ombudsman uncovers ‘systemic failings’ at Lewisham Council
07/10/2025 A investigation into Lewisham Council has exposed widespread failings in how the authority manages housing repairs, complaints, and property conditions. |
Wiltshire Council sees annual complaints surge
01/10/2025 Wiltshire Council’s complaints have increased by over 60% since 2021-22, figures have revealed. |
Ombudsman reports improvement in housing complaints
22/09/2025 The Housing Ombudsman’s 2024-25 Annual Complaints Review reveals social landlords are starting to handle complaints better, even as volumes continue to rise. |
Call for overhaul of adult care complaints system
18/09/2025 The Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman is calling for urgent reform in how adult care complaints are handled in England. |
Confidence in local councils plummets, study finds
10/09/2025 New research reveals a sharp decline in public trust in local government, with fewer people believing councils listen to complaints. |
Controversial comments prompt council leader’s exit
05/09/2025 The leader of Peterborough City Council has resigned following comments made about the Rotherham grooming victims. |
Council fails to review support for disabled children
07/08/2025 A London borough has been criticised for ignoring its own advice and failing to complete an investigation into how it supports children with disabilities. |
Hounslow ends Lime e-bike partnership after complaints
05/08/2025 Hounslow Council’s partnership with bike rental company Lime has been terminated following issues with unsafe parking. |
Misconduct investigation cost Durham CC thousands
04/06/2025 Durham County Council reveals its investigations into claims of councillor misconduct at Romaldkirk Parish Council cost upwards of £60,000. |
Housing ombudsman raises alarm over 474% surge in repair complaints
29/05/2025 The housing ombudsman has warned that anger at poor housing conditions could result in unrest as his office reveals a dramatic increase in repair complaints. |
Council apologises to domestic abuse victim
08/05/2025 North Kesteven District Council has issued an apology after failing to promptly install vital security measures in the home of a domestic abuse victim. |
Council called to Beckham’s raucous birthday dinner
06/05/2025 Council intervenes after David Beckham's 50th birthday bash prompts complaints by the neighbours. |
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. |
Westminster City Council ordered to silence buskers
02/04/2025 A judge has ordered Westminster City Council to take action against buskers in Leicester Square. |
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 handling of housing complaints ‘defensive’
28/11/2024 A special investigation by the Housing Ombudsman has revealed a ‘defensive complaints culture’ within Camden Council’s landlord services. |
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 issues formal complaint over public interest report
07/10/2024 Luton BC has issued a formal complaint against its auditor following the publication of a public interest report. |
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. |
Council leader steps down after bullying accusation
23/09/2024 The leader of Newcastle City Council has resigned after an accusation of bullying was made against him. |
‘Little meaningful progress’ made in tackling anti-social behaviour
09/09/2024 Little progress has been made in improving the responses of councils and other agencies to complaints of anti-social behaviour, Victims' Commissioner says. |
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. |
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. |
Councils only respond to third of housing complaints
06/06/2024 Local authorities only responded to a third of complaints about hazardous private accommodation between 2021 and 2023, freedom of information data reveals. |
Leader bullied two senior officers, report finds
15/03/2024 A council leader’s behaviour towards two senior officers amounted to bullying, a report into a code of conduct complaint has found. |
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 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. |
New complaint handling codes launched
08/02/2024 New closely aligned codes aimed at making good complaint handling easier for local authorities have been launched. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Edinburgh Council re-investigating pink door allegations
11/07/2023 Edinburgh woman who was threatened with a £20,000 fine for painting her door pink is facing an investigation after allegations she had painted it pink again. |
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. |
Ombudsman ruling against Milton Keynes Council
21/06/2023 The housing ombudsman has made a finding of severe maladministration against Milton Keynes Council |
Rise in complaints because of cuts, says research
21/06/2023 Complaints taken up by councils have increased because of cuts in budgets, according to new research. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Care home accused of ‘contemptuous’ behaviour
27/04/2023 Ombudsman has accused a Leicester care company boss of sending ‘intimidating, abusive and threatening emails’ to an elderly woman who complained. |
Wakefield residents warn of ‘concrete jungle’ risk
03/04/2023 Residents of a village near Wakefield in West Yorkshire have objected to a major housing development they claim will turn the area into a ‘concrete jungle’. |
Stoke-on-Trent tops list of smelliest places
14/03/2023 Stoke-on-Trent received the highest number of complaints about bad smells in the UK in the last year, according to new figures. |
Birmingham City Council to review respite care complaints process
02/03/2023 Birmingham is to review the way it responds to complaints about respite care for children with disabilities after it told families to appeal to the Ombudsman. |
Social care users ‘failed’ by complaints system, watchdog says
28/02/2023 Adults attempting to challenge social care decisions made by councils are ‘being failed’, the national equalities watchdog has said. |
Council officer apologises for ‘racist’ bacon comment
13/02/2023 A Leeds council officer made offensive remarks about bacon sandwiches which could be construed as racist, an investigation has found. |
Ombudsman publishes record keeping 'good practice' guide
02/02/2023 A new guide to help care providers learn from complaints involving record keeping was today published. |
Council apologises for failing to fix two-year-old leak
24/01/2023 Leeds City Council acknowledges there were failings within its repair service that led to a resident living with damp in both the kitchen and bathroom. |
Council apologises after RCVs struggle to reach bin stores
19/01/2023 Brighton & Hove CC has apologised after its refuse collection vehicles were unable to reach the sites of bin stores that were approved by council planners. |
Ombudsman criticises Birmingham council of ‘maladministration’
12/12/2022 Birmingham CC has apologised for failing on multiple occasions to take action over a housing disrepair claim when prompted by the resident and the local MP. |
Council’s handling of FOI request ‘inappropriate’
07/12/2022 The way Sheffield City Council records and labels information is ‘inappropriate’, an investigation into how the council handles FOI requests has found. |
Council criticised after man left homeless
24/11/2022 Shropshire Council has been criticised after a man was left homeless for too long because the council did not understand its responsibilities towards him. |
Council criticised for failing to tackle issues with bin collections
10/11/2022 Birmingham City Council has been criticised for blaming 'rogue crews' for failures in bin collections by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Cost of care ‘common theme’ in council complaints
12/10/2022 The underfunding of social care has meant that the cost of providing care has become an increasingly common theme in complaints against councils, says report. |
Housing complaint handling processes must be ‘accessible’
08/09/2022 All local authority landlords and housing associations must ensure that their complaint handling processes are accessible and consistent, Ombudsman says. |
Council criticised after homophobic abuse complaint
26/05/2022 Coventry City Council has been criticised for not doing enough to help a man who was subject to homophobic abuse. |
Gove criticises social housing landlord after ‘severe maladministration’ finding
24/05/2022 Michael Gove has criticised England's largest social housing landlord after an investigation found the housing body was guilty of ‘severe maladministration’. |
Dealing with complaints became ‘casualty of crisis’, Ombudsman says
24/02/2022 COVID-19 ‘magnified stresses’ that councils were already faced with before the pandemic and dealing with complaints became a ‘casualty’, report says. |
Councils urged to improve record-keeping of private housing complaints
10/02/2022 Councils have been urged to properly record complaints about the private rented sector after campaigners found over half are failing to accurately do so. |
Council found guilty of ‘maladministration’ over leaky roof complaint
11/01/2022 The London Borough of Ealing has said it is reviewing its working practices after the Housing Ombudsman found that it was guilty of ‘severe maladministration’. |
Call for ‘zero-tolerance’ on damp in social homes
26/10/2021 Tackling damp and mould must be a higher priority for social landlords, the Housing Ombudsman has said in a new report. |
Council apologises for backlog of hundreds of noise complaints
07/10/2021 A backlog of hundreds of noise complaints has been uncovered at Calderdale Council following an investigation by the ombudsman. |
Councils dealt with 1,000 noisy neighbour complaints a day during lockdowns
02/09/2021 Councils dealt with 1,000 complaints about noisy neighbours every day during the pandemic, new research has revealed. |
Review highlights 'widening cracks' in council complaints systems
28/07/2021 The ombudsman has warned about the erosion to the way complaints are being handled by local councils. |
Inquiry launched into challenging adult social care decisions
20/07/2021 An inquiry has been launched to examine how people can challenge decisions made by local councils about adult social care. |
Council pledges to improve its adoption recruitment process
08/07/2021 City of Wolverhampton Council has agreed to ensure its adoption recruitment procedure to ensure it meets statutory guidelines following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Bristol City Council apologises for ‘distress’ caused by mishandling of complaints
26/05/2021 Bristol City Council has apologised after being criticised for failing to provide evidence it had completed Ombudsman recommendations in two separate complaints. |
County to review its SEN services following ombudsman investigation
20/05/2021 Hampshire County Council has agreed to reviews its SEN services following an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Local councils complain about poor banking services
30/04/2021 The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has warned it has received a groundswell of complaints about poor banking services across England. |
Ombudsman criticises council for failing to investigate mother’s complaint
11/03/2021 Isle of Wight Council has been criticised for failing to properly investigate a mother’s complaint about the way it removed her disabled son’s personal budget. |
Leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council suspended for seven months
05/01/2021 The leader of Merthyr Tydfil Council has been suspended for seven months after he breached its code of conduct. |
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. |
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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’. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
