Local Government Ombudsman

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) is a service that investigates complaints from the public about councils and some other bodies providing public services in England. It also investigates complaints about registered adult social care providers. It is the last stage of the complaints process, for people who have given the council or provider opportunity to resolve the issue first. It is a free service. Similar duties are carried out by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman and the Northern Ireland Ombudsman.

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates allegations of maladministration that have caused injustice to the complainant. Most council services can be investigated including some areas of housing, planning, education, social services, council tax, housing benefit and highways. Registered adult social care services can be investigated regardless of whether there has been council input into the care. The Local Government Ombudsman provides dispute resolution services free of charge to the complainants. It will usually only become involved after a council's complaints procedure has been exhausted.

If the LGO finds the body investigated acted with fault, which caused the person an injustice, it will recommend a remedy to put things right. The LGO remedies are aimed at putting the person back in the position they would have been were it not for the fault. Where appropriate it also recommends action to avoid similar issues affecting other people - such as reviewing practice and procedure - and can recommend remedies for other persons affected by faults found in an individual complaint.

As the 2014/15 fiscal year, the service cost approximately £12 million per annum. The Commission for Local Administration is the official title of the body that runs the Local Government Ombudsman service. The stated objective of the LGO is to remedy injustice and improve local public services. This includes issuing advice on good administrative practice in local government based on experience from prior investigations and also offer training in complaint handling to councils and care providers.

Although it will hear complaints of maladministration stemming from the actions of individual councillors and council employees, the service can only seek to remedy the injustice and cannot discipline the person responsible. Unless they are also members of a professional body, such as the Law Society, individual officers can only be disciplined by their employer.

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