Ombudsman stats show stark reality of life in England in 2023

The Ombudsman’s annual complaints statistics once again back up the harsh realities many people face in key areas of their lives – how their children are educated, how elderly relatives are cared for, and the houses they call home.

Now in its tenth year, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review of complaints offers a unique insight into the health of local government services in England.

Through the lens of escalated complaints, the report details the common issues seen over the past 12 months, with key areas of concern including Special Educational Needs and Disabilities provision for children and young people, Adult Care Services, and Housing.

In the Ombudsman’s first report in 2014, Education and Children’s Services complaints made up just 17% of the complaints the Ombudsman received. This ever-growing area now makes up nearly a quarter (24%) of the organisation’s workload, and sees the average uphold rate of complaints investigated tipping 84%.

The area making the largest proportion of its complaints about children and education is the South East, with 33% being about this crucial area of work, compared with nearby London in which it makes up just 12% of residents’ complaints.

In the London area, housing and homelessness make up the biggest area of concern (26%), compared with just 15% of complaints nationwide. 

In the North residents are more concerned about Adult Care Services, making up nearly a fifth (19%) of complaints, compared with a national average of 13%.

Paul Najsarek, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

We all want decent education services for our children, quality care for our loved ones when they are in need, and the reassurance of a safety net if we fall on hard times but all too often the complaints we receive show this isn’t what people experience.

We know councils face huge challenges, so it is more important than ever for them to focus on the getting the basics right in services for residents and handling complaints effectively. Although local authorities often get things right, we frequently find councils repeating the same mistakes, ploughing ahead and not taking a step back to see the bigger picture.

Our latest statistics shed light on the harsh realities people across the country face in crucial aspects of their lives. Council leaders now need to focus on learning from common faults and injustices so they can make a significant difference to the people our local authorities serve.
The Ombudsman remedies individual injustice and, by sharing the learning from the complaints it investigates, improves local public, and adult social care, services

Published today, its annual review also shows over the past year, from 15,488 complaints and enquiries it received, the Ombudsman made more recommendations to improve council services than ever before (2,412). These remedies can include improving staff training, revising policies and procedures and reviewing records to identify other people who have also been affected by the problems identified.

It also made 4,907 recommendations to remedy individuals’ personal injustice, with remedies including apologies, reimbursement of fees and reassessments for services which should have been provided.

Over the past year, in 99.3% of cases, local authorities have complied with and implemented the Ombudsman’s recommendations.