LG & SC Ombudsman Reviews 

I guess the one positive is some of the complaints are looked at quite quickly but that is about the only redeeming feature. I have raised a few complaints about our local authority. One triage manager has failed to recognise that I had used proper complaints process and the LA had underhandedly not treated my complaint as a complaint. The triage manager was forcing me to get a response that I had no control over. This has led to a delay by 3 months in my complaint being looked at. Another investigator seems to be using AI to respond to questions so that what he writes is unintelligible and does not relate to the specific question being asked. The internal complaints system to LGO is nonsense - either hand your complaint to the case worker or send a snail mail to an anonymous address (no title given). Feedback on the website is not feedback, but just a demographics data gathering exercise. Obviously, like the Local Authorities, are gaming the system so their inadequecies are not reported. Just another corrupt civil service in the UK.

This organisation is useless to complain about social services. They apparently are unable to assess if social services have provided an adequate budget to support a person with learning disabilties and are not trained to tell if SS are contravening the Care Act. All they can do is see if your complaint to SS has been investigated and if a lead disability person from SS (who has never met the person in question) has written one e-mail about it that is considered sufficient!

I turned to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman ("LGSCO" / "LGO"), hoping for an impartial referee. Instead, I found a body that bends over backwards to defend councils while stonewalling disabled complainants like me.

1. Dismissive, box-ticking “investigations”:

1.1. Despite the London Borough of Newham Council admitting multiple faults (wrongly recording my name, delaying a Stage-2 review by nine months, giving unclear instructions about student council-tax discount, failing to grant my student council tax discount, etc.), the LGO refused to investigate because the “likely fault has not caused significant injustice.”

1.2. The investigator decided that a then-unpaid token £100 from Newham Council was a sufficient remedy and closed the case without even asking the council to put things right or prove if/when they paid said remedy.

2. Equality Act? What Equality Act?:

2.1. I repeatedly asked for reasonable adjustments (plain-English emails only, numbered paragraphs). Instead I received unreadable portal messages and generic letters.

2.2. When I complained, an assessment manager, coolly replied that the Equality Act does not require the LGO to answer as many questions as I might want to ask. That contemptuous tone tells you everything about their attitude to disabled people.

3. Threats instead of answers:

3.1. After I requested a review, the LGO warned that if I tried judicial review, they would pursue me for £2,000 to £3,000 in costs — an intimidation tactic more befitting an aggressive law firm than a public-service ombudsman.

4. Stonewalling service-complaint process:

4.1. When I lodged a formal service complaint under the Equality Act detailing unreadable correspondence and an unqualified “readability analysis” of my disability-related emails, the response ducked every substantive point and blamed “human error,” offering only another hollow apology.

5. Forcing litigants into court:

5.1. Their own solicitor later bragged that the Ombudsman’s findings show my claim is “trivial,” and threatened cost orders if I pursued the matter.

5.2. The watchdog’s default stance seems to be: Save councils money at any cost — even if that means crushing the citizen.

6. Bottom line:

6.1. The LGO markets itself as “independent and fair.” My experience shows it is anything but.

6.2. If you are disabled, expect patronising brush-offs, procedural hurdles, and veiled cost threats.

6.3. The organisation that should champion accountability has instead become a gatekeeper, shielding local authorities from scrutiny.

6.4. Use with extreme caution — and don’t count on them for justice.

Absolutely useless, don't waste your time dealing with these people.
I spent a lot of time explaining the issue and in jumping through all of the bureaucratic hoops to submit the case. 3 months on and they will not even look at it : "It would not be a proportionate use of our limited resources to investigate this
matter further." I agree with many others in their criticism of this organisation and that it should be scrapped as it is clearly not fulfilling it's purpose.

Took 13+ weeks to reach a decision and didn't even ask for any evidence from myself before closing the case. Absolutely useless.

Since my last review nothing has happened except more dumb ignorance from Hampshire CC who just keep telling me to contact the LGSCO. They have been no use at all and after two letters to "THE OMBUDSMAN" Amerdeep Somal who never answers or acknowledges personal mail why waste your time. Have now written to Mrs Williamson CEO of Hampshire CC and again never replied or acknowledged my communication. Could not even get her to answer why Hampshire CC have ignored the Ruling by the Ombudsman. I have now been unemployed for a year due to the dumb ignorance of both bodies. Amazing how when you get paid by the Public Purse any principles go out with the rubbish. The only positive from Hampshire CC was a Order of "No Contact" with me. That was after the Ombudsmans ruling which they never even mentioned to me which questioned their action against me. Why does it need one useless organisation to police another which then takes no notice. Ms Somal it would be nice if you would give me the validation of your ruling and inform me of how to get an Independant Review. Something Hampshire CC refused me after never giving me any Due Process of allowing me to Appeal. The Leader of Hampshire CC, Adams-King has also been as helpful as a dead dog ignoring my communications. Better to be ignorant than to have to be seen to be pro-active in something.

Didn't even investigate! This is their response -
"We will not investigate this complaint about the Council closing the complainant’s council tax account in error. This is because there is insufficient evidence of fault causing injustice."

The Council stopped my direct debit after receiving information 'in good faith' from Purplebricks that I had left the property. I had not left.

I didn't noticed this until 6 months after they cancelled it. In the end I had to pay back a whole years council tax because of their error, due to them using incorrect information 'in good faith'. Sounds like a robust system, doesn't it! Ridiculous!

At the end of the day I didn't do anything wrong, except fail to notice my Council Tax wasn't being taken.

Ombudsman couldn't even be bothered to investigate this, apparently due to lack of evidence, despite the emails from the Council stating they had acted on third party information 'in good faith' which led to them cancelling my direct debit, isn't that alone enough evidence?!

If I had the money to take this to Court I would. This was not my fault, it was theirs. Injustice.

Quasi Quango setup by central government to say you can complain about councils leaving the elderly alone to die, when in reality the councils know they never go against them. Starmer now abolishing all these quangos, leaving this one alone proves it is the central government way of protecting these councils starved of government cash.

Very poor indeed in outcomes, the organisation either needs to be defunded or revised. It certainly does not represent the people who need help! It fobbs you off at every turn even though you have facts and concrete evidence. This organisation requires regular Audits by a non-biased body as they side more on the wrong doings then the right. Waste of Tax payers money! They mislead and fail to represent you in gaining justice!

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) is an absolute disgrace—a pathetic, useless organization that exists only to protect councils and screw over the public.

They don’t investigate properly, ignore evidence, twist facts, and make excuses for corrupt councils. I sent them clear proof of wrongdoing, and they couldn’t be bothered to look at it. Instead, they dismissed my complaint without any real effort, and when I challenged their pathetic decision, they shut down communication entirely—because they can’t handle being called out on their incompetence.

This is not an ombudsman. It’s a spineless, biased, back-covering operation designed to rubber-stamp council lies. The whole system is rigged against complainants, and these cowards know it. They hide behind bureaucracy, waffle on about “fairness,” but in reality, they are just puppets for the councils they’re meant to regulate.

If you’re thinking of complaining to the LGSCO, save yourself the stress. They are a complete waste of time, and the only thing they’ll do is gaslight you into thinking your complaint was never valid in the first place.

The LGSCO is a disgraceful, corrupt, and utterly incompetent bunch of bureaucratic clowns. They do not care, they will not help you, and they are not fit for purpose.

Absolutely appalling and useless case workers. Close the case without proper investigation. Bribed by the Council surely.

Allowing useless people to be in position of power instead of the unemployment office were they belong.

I’m sickened to know these people are using PUBLIC money for doing nothing. My complaint was valid, even the Council upheld parts of it but the Ombudsman declined to investigate. When I spoke to the assessor she spoke to me like a child, was rude and had the audacity to say ‘so you want compensation?!’. She was horrid and condescending. Reading these reviews, why is something not being done with this corrupt set-up I’m shocked! Local authorities are getting away with so much due to the Ombudsman. Shame
on you and your incompetent and unprofessional staff.

Appalling cover up. The problem is that if one uses the Council's complaints procedure then you end up having to deal with this Ombudsman. However it consistently covers up what has gone on. In the latest example we have had flooding and even sewage on our road arising from the failure to deal with breaches of conditions yet the incompetent investigator found no fault. There are numerous outstanding breaches of planning control, some of which the Council has yet to even respond to me on yet in the parallel universe of this Ombudsman it is claimed that everything is resolved. Hopeless.

Totally corrupt and Patronising, treat you like you was born yesterday, Totally biased towards the Council's Libraries where are picking on and discrimination with disabled, treated able body people with no learning with a VIP, exemption from house rules, free to take liberty and abuse the system. Rude staff bias staff towards the public sector.

Complete waste of time and emotional stress on behalf of my late mother in law. I spent hours and hours putting together evidence of the failings of our Councils Adult Social Care Services and although the ombudsman did investigate and found fault in the council processes they said there had not been any injustices! They even said that the council had changed 3 of their processes and procedures because of the way we had been treated and employed more resources, which surely shows that their administration is not fit for purpose as to get extra funding in these tight times for councils is near on impossible. Incorrect information was given to us both face to face and on the phone by the council. Letters and communications were not sent to us by the council. If these had been sent to us it would have provided us with the information we needed to make informed decisions on our late mother in law care. We are now faced with a care bill of over £7500 that originally we were told by the council would be funded. I wish I had read the reviews before going to the ombudsman.
It is a waste of tax payers money and not worth wasting your time as it will not be pursued with any effect if at all and biased towards the councils.

I should have checked their rating before seeking their help—what a waste of time and money. I find that the U.K. is in decline, with public services being incredibly ineffective. The LGO and other standards bodies are no better. What a shame.

This is the body that's supposed to hold Local Authorities to account and ensure standards are kept, they are an absolute Joke ! Reported the poor delivery of a frontline service by Calderdale Council after I received excuses and unaccountable responses to my complaints. The LGO decided it wasn't worth investigating even though on one occasion the recycling team where caught on CCTV throwing recycling/ rubbish in my garden. Clear corruption and further two tiered govt body. This body is funded by Local Authorities through our taxation and Council Tax, therefore i wonder why they are clearly not investigating issues from my experience and other reviews. The LGO is not fit for purpose and the sooner these useless and ineffective quangos costing tax payers alot of money get closed down. Let's hope Reform Party get elected in 4 years because such bodies / quangos are already on their radar and stated they will be closing down and or totally reforming these ineffectual costly govt bodies funded by us the tax payer !!!

Dont know how these people exist! Totally incompetent and useless.

Is it not possible to give a minus rating?

Shocking and disgraceful service, I went to them for help over my mums nursing home who had mistreated my mum. The home admitted fault and think a simple sorry is adequate.
There answer? They can't help! Pointless and complete waste of time and space.

They simply never listen. Not every one star is wrong. Maybe they need investgating. Something really is not right with this company.