Protecting the public realm without shutting it down
As Martyn's Law approaches, this free special report from LocalGov and Hill & Smith sets out how councils can protect public spaces without shutting them down.
Essex CC accepts recommendations after SEND transport failures
02/10/2026 ‘Serious and repeated failings’ have been identified in an Ombudsman investigation into Essex County Council and its handling of transport arrangements for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). |
Adult social care complaints up 22%
23/09/2026 Complaints about adult social care in England rose 22% last year, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). |
Ombudsman calls for clearer signposting around council tax appeals
26/08/2026 The Ombudsman has revealed that people could be unaware of the possible opportunity to challenge council tax bills they believe to be incorrect. |
Ombudsman warns over safeguarding failures after Portsmouth scandal
05/08/2026 The LGSCO has warned councils cannot outsource safeguarding responsibilities after finding serious failings in the care of an elderly woman in Portsmouth. |
Compassion is key when delivering end of life care, Ombudsman says
30/07/2026 Councils have been urged by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) to enhance the quality of end life care. |
LGR opportunity to rebuild trust as complaints surge, Ombudsman says
15/07/2026 Local government reorganisation (LGR) and devolution represent a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity to rebuild trust in councils, Ombudsman says. |
Ombudsman finds council failed disabled teenager over housing delays
18/06/2026 A disabled teenager was left without access to vital medical equipment after a London council failed to act on repeated warnings about unsuitable housing. |
Council criticised for failing domestic abuse survivor
20/05/2026 Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised South Gloucestershire Council after it left a domestic abuse survivor and her child homeless. |
Who do you complain to? The new rules on social housing
20/05/2026 The Renters' Rights Act has extended the LGSCO's jurisdiction to cover non-tenant social housing complaints. The Ombudsman explains what councils need to know. |
Ombudsman finds council twice at fault for failing children with SEND
14/05/2026 A council has been found at fault twice for failing to deliver support to children with special educational needs attending schools outside its area. |
Non-tenants gain right to complain about council housing
01/05/2026 People who are not council tenants can now formally complain about how councils manage social housing due to new powers under the Renters' Rights Act. |
Council issued second Ombudsman report following homelessness case
02/04/2026 A second report has been presented to a council by the Ombudsman following the local authority’s failures in the case of a man who required help for homelessness. |
Disabled man slept on floor after council failure, Ombudsman finds
19/03/2026 A disabled man was left sleeping on the floor after a council failed to properly respond to his homelessness application, Ombudsman finds. |
Bristol CC to overhaul tenancy procedures after Ombudsman ruling
19/03/2026 Bristol City Council has announced sweeping changes to its tenancy processes following a damning finding of severe maladministration by the Housing Ombudsman. |
Council U-turns on refusal of Ombudsman pay recommendations
12/03/2026 A council has agreed to deliver the financial recommendations of the Ombudsman after its previous refusal to provide remedies. |
Contract blunder left 400 children without therapy, ombudsman finds
04/03/2026 Bucks Council left up to 400 children without therapy they were legally entitled to after failing to properly manage a change in its contracted services. |
Council apologises for college transport mistake
25/02/2026 A council has apologised to a woman with complex learning difficulties who it did not provide with sufficient funding for her transport to college. |
Planning enforcement delays undermining trust, Ombudsman says
17/02/2026 Prolonged delays in local authority planning enforcement are leaving unlawful developments in place and undermining public trust, watchdog says. |
Council fined after leaving a child without education for a year
12/02/2026 North Tyneside Council has agreed to pay £5,900 to a family after an investigation found it failed to provide suitable education for a child with SEND. |
Council held accountable for causing resident ‘significant distress’
08/01/2026 A council has agreed to apologise to a man whose complaints about a neighbour’s anti-social behaviour were ignored. |
Council apologises for sign language failure
05/01/2026 A London council has apologised after failing to find a sign language interpreter for a deaf man receiving care. |
Leicester refuses to compensate homeless family
06/11/2025 Leicester CC has rejected a recommendation from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman after a homeless family was left in a B&B for nearly 10 months. |
Ombudsman calls out TfL over ULEZ changes
06/11/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has criticised TfL over changes made to its vehicle scrappage schemes linked to the expansion of the ULEZ. |
Watchdog criticises council for failing disabled resident
24/10/2025 West Sussex County Council unlawfully cut transport funding for a disabled man attending a day centre, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has ruled. |
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. |
Ombudsman slams council over safeguarding backlog
02/10/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has exposed a major safeguarding failure in Haringey, as hundreds of police welfare reports go unread. |
Ombudsman slams delays in Leeds SEND support plans
25/09/2025 Leeds CC has been criticised after an Ombudsman investigation uncovered significant delays in providing EHC Plans for children with special educational needs. |
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. |
Housing watchdog highlights hidden service failures
18/09/2025 The Housing Ombudsman has published a new report on ‘silent severe maladministration’ in the social housing sector. |
Council wrongly threatened to remove children
11/09/2025 Cheshire East Council has been criticised after it nearly had a mother’s children taken into care without proper evidence, Ombudsman finds. |
Ombudsman escalates housing complaint against Leicester council
10/09/2025 Ombudsman has written to the Government after Leicester CC refused to fully accept recommendations following a complaint from a domestic abuse survivor. |
Council denies leaving man to sleep in car
04/09/2025 A Lincolnshire man with health issues was left sleeping in his car after South Kesteven DC failed to offer him temporary housing, Ombudsman rules. |
Lewisham slammed over child homelessness failings
28/08/2025 Lewisham Council has been criticised for leaving a seriously ill child at risk after failing to act swiftly in a homelessness case. |
Council acts on Disabled Facilities Grant backlog
20/08/2025 North Yorkshire Council has pledged to improve how it manages Disabled Facilities Grant applications after an investigation revealed a backlog of cases. |
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. |
Ombudsman raises concerns over councils’ handling of complaints involving children
25/07/2025 Concerns have been raised by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over the way councils handle complaints of cases involving children. |
Council leaves abuse survivor homeless
04/07/2025 The London Borough of Waltham Forest has apologised after a survivor of domestic abuse was left street homeless for five weeks. |
Council told to apologise for mishandling of school transport
05/06/2025 Derby City Council has been told to apologise to three families for mishandling their school transport applications. |
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. |
Hackney warned of ‘positivity prism’ danger
22/05/2025 The Housing Ombudsman has criticised Hackney Council for missing multiple opportunities to improve its housing service and warned of a ‘positivity prism’. |
Council fined £3k for woman’s rent increases
16/05/2025 A council has been ordered to pay a woman more than £3,000 in compensation for charging her unaffordable rent while she was in temporary accommodation. |
Council told to apologise to homeless abuse survivor
15/05/2025 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has asked Halton Borough Council to apologise and pay monthly reparations to a homeless domestic abuse survivor they failed to help. |
Council ordered to investigate nursery payment policies
08/05/2025 BCP Council has been told it needs to do better when it comes to overseeing nursery fees when they are providing the Government’s free places scheme. |
Council rejects accusation it acted illegally in homeless mother case
22/04/2025 A London borough maintains that it has acted legally after the local government ombudsman accused it of refusing to find temporary housing for a pregnant woman. |
Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’
11/04/2025 Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme. |
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. |
Council to pay family nearly £8k after education failure
03/04/2025 Oxfordshire County Council has agreed to pay £7,900 in compensation after council failures led to a child missing out on four terms of education. |
Council inaction left disabled woman scared she would die
20/03/2025 A disabled Islington woman said she was scared she had been left ‘to die’ after the council took too long to decide what support she should receive. |
Rochdale apologises for 1,500 SEND plan backlog
13/03/2025 Rochdale BC has apologised after admitting it has a backlog of 1,500 support plans to review for children with special educational needs and disabilities. |
New LGSCO chief exec appointed
05/03/2025 Julie Odams has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). |
Council loses legal challenge over nursery fees
12/02/2025 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has failed in its bid to challenge a decision made by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. |
Council delays left mother to pay £7,000 for children's care
06/02/2025 A mother had to pay £7,000 for her children’s therapy while she waited for Somerset Council to release the funds, an ombudsman has revealed. |
Council pays family £2,600 over missed education
04/02/2025 Wokingham Borough Council has been ordered to pay a mother £2,600 after it failed to meet her son’s special educational needs. |
Somerset fails to act on Ombudsman recommendations
22/01/2025 Somerset Council has been criticised for failing to act on an ombudsman’s recommendations to meet a young person’s needs. |
Council bureaucracy meant child missed months of school
22/01/2025 A child went months without education because of Trafford Council’s unnecessary delays, an investigation has found. |
Ombudsman: Decision to move man in his final days caused ‘distress’
16/01/2025 Essex County Council’s decision to move a man with dementia away from his wife during the final weeks of his life caused ‘avoidable distress’, an ombudsman has said. |
‘Serious concerns’ about council’s homelessness service
10/01/2025 Brentwood Borough Council has been putting ‘unnecessary barriers’ in the way of people accessing its homelessness services, an investigation has found. |
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 five-year appeals backlog uncovered
12/12/2024 Luton Borough Council had a backlog of benefits appeals cases dating back five years, an investigation has found. |
Child was at ‘constant risk of injury’ in unsafe temporary accommodation
05/12/2024 A family with a disabled child had to live in an unsafe flat for a year and a half longer than they should have, an investigation has found. |
Child put in care after councils fail to adapt home
05/12/2024 Errors made by two councils left a child with significant and complex needs living in an unsuitable home for ‘far too long’, an ombudsman has found. |
Ombudsman calls for more powers
22/11/2024 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has called for it to be granted further powers to close ‘accountability gaps'. |
Council’s poor understanding of SEND ‘incomprehensible’, says Ombudsman
19/11/2024 Worcestershire County Council has committed to providing better training after an investigation revealed it had failed a child with special needs. |
Council refuses to pay remedy to domestic abuse victim
13/11/2024 Leicester City Council has refused part of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s recommendation to pay a homeless domestic abuse victim following a complaint. |
Ombudsman chief to retire
08/11/2024 The chief executive of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman will retire in May. |
Councils urged to improve adoption processes
07/11/2024 Local authorities in England need to learn from past failures to get support for adoptive families right, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman says. |
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 apologises after ‘vulnerable’ man left homeless
17/10/2024 Tower Hamlets Council has apologised after it left a vulnerable man with significant care needs unsupported when he was made homeless. |
Council landlords struggle with damp and mould
17/10/2024 Seven councils have been named in a housing watchdog's report on severe maladministration in damp and mould complaints. |
Mother fleeing abuse forced to live in mixed-sex B&B
10/10/2024 A mother fleeing abuse was forced to live in accommodation so unsuitable her disabled child would soil themselves rather than use the shared bathroom. |
Council apologises for flawed approach to travel support
04/10/2024 Sandwell Council has apologised after the local government Ombudsman found flaws in the way it considered a family’s application for travel support. |
Chief ombudsman for new housing appointed
25/09/2024 The New Homes Ombudsman Service (NHOS) has appointed Nigel Cates as the new chief ombudsman to lead the service from the end of September. |
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. |
Councils accused of being overzealous with ‘middle-class fly-tipping’
23/09/2024 Councils have been accused of being overzealous when it comes to fining people who leave items outside their home for neighbours to collect for free. |
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. |
Woman denied help after council fails to recognise domestic abuse
05/09/2024 Ealing Council denied a pregnant woman housing support because it used an outdated definition of domestic abuse, an ombudsman has found. |
Teen left at self-harm risk after council’s housing delay
22/08/2024 A teenager with significant support needs was at significant risk of self-harm after a council left him ‘on the brink of homeless’, an ombudsman has reported. |
Ombudsman ‘astonished’ by failure to remove waste
08/08/2024 Kingston Council’s refusal to move a dumped mattress for four months has left the local government ombudsman ‘astonished’. |
Ombudsman publishes new guidance for housing officers
31/07/2024 The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has published a guide for officers who make decisions on people’s housing needs based on medical assessments. |
Severe maladministration findings prompt housing investigation
30/07/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has launched a special investigation into Lewisham Council following a ‘significant number of severe maladministration findings’. |
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. |
Tower Hamlets Council apologises for housing backlog
12/07/2024 Tower Hamlets Council has agreed to review the way it allocates properties after an investigation revealed a backlog in housing register applications. |
Council failed in duties over care home closure
08/07/2024 Wokingham Borough Council’s failures over a struggling care home caused distress and anxiety for a woman who had lived there for 16 years, an investigation has found. |
Council pays family £1,500 after school transport failure
04/07/2024 A family in Surrey has been paid £1,500 in compensation after the county council failed to provide school transport for a child with medical needs. |
Tower Hamlets apologises after ‘gatekeeping’ finding
13/05/2024 Tower Hamlets did not do enough to help a family threatened with eviction, an ombudsman has found. |
Council pays family £8k over failure to educate child
25/04/2024 Suffolk County Council left a young girl with special educational needs with no education for a year and a half, an ombudsman has found. |
Essex council agrees to rethink alternative education changes
04/04/2024 Essex CC agrees to investigate why changes to its alternative education provision for children who are unable to attend school have not improved the service. |
Housing Ombudsman awards residents £40k
14/03/2024 Residents left in dire damp and mould conditions by Lewisham Council have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds. |
Council apologises for failing to recognise abuse
14/03/2024 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has apologised after failing to properly identify the abuse suffered by a homeless man. |
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 to revisit how it calculated allowances to 300 families
21/02/2024 An investigation has revealed that Devon County Council has been calculating incorrectly allowances for families who look after children as special guardians. |
Thurrock bin crews trapped wheelchair user
20/02/2024 Bin crews in Thurrock have repeatedly trapped a disabled woman in her home by not returning her bins to the proper place, ombudsman finds. |
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. |
Council order to pay over £18k after severe maladministration findings
01/02/2024 Waltham Forest Council has been ordered to pay £18,800 in compensation after failings were discovered in three different housing cases. |
Children with SEND impacted by psychologist shortage
31/01/2024 The lives of children with SEND are being negatively affected by the shortage of educational psychologists, the local government ombudsman has warned. |
North Northants fined £1,500 after girl misses school
26/01/2024 The leader of North Northamptonshire Council has apologised to the family of a girl who missed part of her education because of her health. |
Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission for social housing
23/01/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has called for the establishment of a Royal Commission to deliver a long-term plan for social housing that tackles social injustices. |
New local government Ombudsman appointed
18/01/2024 Amerdeep Somal will be the next Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, the Government has confirmed. |
