LG & SC Ombudsman Recensioni 

Absolutely incredible. I read reviews and was put off.
But it was a long process. And you got to keep up loading all the evidence you have. You have to put the effort in!!!!!!.
They can't do it all for u.
They can only investigate if u have a good solid case.
If there's no case there's no case.
I'm very happy with the effort and help of staff. Thankyou !!!!!!!

What an absolute pile of crap.
It defies logic how this organisation is allowed to get away with this level of incompetance.
My complaint with Manchester City Council was based, in part, on the two year delay and their inability to carry out the simpliest aspects of the new rental licensing scheme introduced in areas of Manchester. As such a complaint was made to the local government Ombudsman, and their rationale for dismissing my complaint out of hand, was the delay between the beggining of my original complaint and the filing of the ombudsman complaint.
This is for an ongoing issue, which is still ongoing even now... The ombudsman has completely ignored one of the major issues and decided not to investigate further based ON that issue.
This 'Organisation' clearly has procedures in place to find the tiniest minutia of your complaint to use an an excuse as to reject it. What is clearly worse, there are people who worfk there, reading your complaints and see you asking for help, and thier persoanl moral code allows them to be party to such a scandalous and brazenly dishonest practice.

These people are beyond incompetent. Given that they state the only way to appeal their decision if to escalate the issue to the court system, for a judicial review, which will take even longer, this is a prime example of how one government organisation is complict in the inactions and failures of another, and is far to eager to conspire together in a coverup, continually misleading the needy and desperate people who were hoping that the ombudsman would be able to help.

Do not, DO NOT, under any circumstances you can avoid, file your complaint with these people, you will be sorely disapointed and in the process achieve less than nothing.
Go to your local MP, speak to your local press or anyone for that matter. Hell, my hairdresser is more help than these people.

Whistle blowers are needed to make the LGSCO fit for purpose. Government and parliament should know that the LGSCO is not impartial, open or transparent. It has the worst reviews on trustpilot 99% bad. This has been going on for years and election year is the best time to get residents proper justice. Other ombudsman type organisations also have bad trustpilot reviews. Such as ICO, CEDR, FOS etc. These should all be on the bonfire of the Quangos.

Useless. I wrote to LG&SC Ombudsman about a noise complaint being stalled for 8 months despite noise issues despite the law stating noise issues with evidence (of which I have with the noise app) should've only taken 6 weeks. I sent a complaint against my council including evidence my council rejecting my noise complaint via letter. lgo.org.uk response? CASE CLOSED as case still open?!?!?!? Use fackers both lgo and my council.

This failing group of incompetent investigators are motivated by a desire to cover-up the wrong-doing of equally incompetent Councils. They refuse to disclose recognised levels of investigative training expected of staff, appear unable to decipher the most basic evidence and make decisions that appear to ignore the statutory obligations of the Councils they seek to protect from appropriate scrutiny.
And people are dying as a result..!
They are apparently unaccountable for their decisions, thereby leaving the whistleblowers that dare to disclose wrongdoing with no viable recourse.
Safeguarding is the responsible of everyone, but the LGSC Ombudsman appears oblivious to such obligations, preferring to silence as many critics as possible.
Such willful abuse and neglect of power and responsibilities could constitute a criminal offence of Misconduct in Public Office.
It's about time the conduct of the LGSC Ombudsman and his team is subjected to suitable scrutiny if further deaths at the hands of irresponsible Councils is to be avoided.

They are nonentities; full of bribed professionals that have morals for rights. Men and women that can’t afford to say the truth or discern what is good/right. They don’t know what investigation means, not to talk of evidence. They lie for their living and incapable of judgement. Never go there; if you have a meaningful case, go to the court for civil litigation. When I’m done with the council, I’ll expose them the more.

I wish I'd read these reviews before wasting my time with these criminals. Cornwall council had refused to even send a letter to my noisy neighbours, claiming they didn't have to because it's an 'insulation problem'. Amazing that they could identify this remotely-especially since the insulation has been recently checked by our housing association and is fine! The useless ombudsman simply agreed with the council's psychic evaluation of the situation and even managed to be officious and rude at the same time! I can't even now close my account with them!! It's absolutely sickening that you have no right to complain about shoddy public services except to organizations who are obviously paid to shoot you down in flames. Unfortunately my local tory MP is a waste of space, so I literally cannot do anything more but move home.

I can't give a rating lower than a single star but would if I could do so. The LG and SC ombudsman is a simply a laundry service for local council misdeeds - clearly biased in favour of local councils, staff show arrogance and impatience with follow up mails, will refuse to take further mails or phone calls to discuss cases rudely putting down the phone, and will literally excuse themselves implying clearly that they are "too busy to do their jobs".
It is clear that a strong bias exists wherein their decisions are arbitrary, final, with subliminal intention to just reduce the backlog, rather than correctly, methodically investigate complaints.
To add insult and humiliation the Ombudsman advises the local council miscreant of their decision without delay, often before clients see a judgement themselves, giving council further extension and mandate to carry on with mal-administrative policies.
I learned that the LGSCO is a place where unwary ordinary citizens go to in good faith to have their hopes of arbitration squandered as no element of arbitration takes place at all
This department is so clearly unfit for purpose along with it's staff such as Ursula Finch et al that the Minister for Local Government should close the current service down, clear out it's cache of non-cooperative staff and rebuild trust in the system.
The web shows ample comment that Councils are aware that the LG and SC ombudsman's verdicts carry no weight at all and they can either take it for granted that the LGSCO will always err in their own favour or they can simply ignore any forthcoming judgements because there are no consequences.
The system is totally lame and no doubt expensive to maintain - it appears, regardless of it's benign title to have all the hallmarks of an official scam primarily intended to close down council complaints.

I do not know what the public have to do to get any investigation or support from this excuse of an organisation. This time Devon CC have failed to maintain previously walkable verges along a 60 mpg + (as we know) 'A' road. This forces me as a pensioner to walk in the traffic or try jumping up a 3ft muddy slippery weed ridden bank when cars speed past to reach part of my land (or wade across a river!). The general public must do the same to reach bus stops and rambling footpaths. DCC invite reporting of such a danger then refuse to do anything. The LGO under delegated powers meaning some office person shuffles the emails, deny my complaint re FLOODING?? I then talk to a brick wall and they have the power to simply shut down further communication. DCC now say they have stopped a lot of verge maintenance due to climate and biodiversity to encourage flora and wildlife!!! So officially the well being of nettles, brambles, thistles, hogweed, poisonous Hemlock and legally requiring removal Himalayan balsam is valued over human life??? As for wildlife there are rats and a deer crossing where they get killed and a request for a deer warning sign refused by DCC. My life is below that of a rat. Imagine having to walk in the North Circular to reach part of your garden but the LGO have no comprehension. At least i have it documented should i be knocked over. Maybe i shouldn't complain as my card will be marked for the future but over several serious valid complaints in the past every one is refused. One where a Council prosecutes for illegality during an LGO investigation! prior to result, conceals evidence, hides records for years, lies in court then years later writes to admit oops no actual illegality while keeping a resident vexatious for 7 years without review and lies in FOIs receives a 'nothing to see here'. I think it is pointless to try and get help. Save your blood pressure and time and give up knowing the LGO will never act against Local Councils or organisations in the obvious wrong.

Not fit for purpose.spend more time looking for ways to avoid doing an investigation than undertaking one.
Remove any funding they get.

Agree with the other comments on here. It is comforting in some odd sort of way that we're all having the same sort of experience, even though it is tragic at the same time.

Agree with others, that this organization is not fit for purpose.

I had a complaint about my local Chidren's Services. My daughter was taken illegally by her mother, against the court orders, and it resulted in her attempting suicide. Children's services did nothing about the situation, ignoring my regular warnings about the risks of her being with her mother, until it was too late. I believe this was down to institutional sexism and incompetence on their part.

Made a complaint direct to the local authority, they refused to accept responsibility for what had happened, so I kept on going to the next stage. Eventually it got to the LGSCO.

The LGSCO gave the local authority every benefit of the doubt on every decision they took, despite the serious outcome for my daughter. When the local authority didn't meet deadlines to respond to enquiries, the LGSCO just gave them more time.

The LGSCO refused to consider substantial parts of my complaint, dismissing them as outside of their remit, because 'they are not a regulator'.

When I pointed out factual errors and logical inconsitencies in the local authorities' argument as to how they had conducted themselves, the LGSCO just said they were 'satisfied ' that the local authority were not at fault, with no explanation why, or why my argument was invalid, and they made no attempt to engage with the facts whatsoever.

It seems clear that this organisation exists just to try and exonerate the local authorities wherever possible, whatever they may have done. I wonder where their funding comes from?

The (minor) remedial measures they recommended in my case were completely ignored by the council, and after complaining again to the LGSCO about that, they said there was nothing they could do! Absolutely no teeth, or willingness to use them on the local authorities. Not worth your time.

The worst part is that this means that effectively the local authorities are unaccountable to anyone, as the LGSCO certainly isn't going to hold them to account.

I agree with other users - they should be scrapped, and replaced with something that actually tries to hold local authorities accountable. But I don't see that happening.

Don't get your hopes up - they aren't going to be on your side...

Local Government Ombudsman is on the Broxbourne council's side. Local Government Ombudsman supports the Broxbourne council to ignore it's citizens. There's no logic in what they do and they have the support from the law because the Local Government Ombudsman decision is final and there's nowhere to turn if there would have been a mistake on their side, totally unacceptable.

Not fit for purpose and should be closed forthwith. No accountability and in my case a complete disregard for the law. It does not even deserve one star . I do not know what the well paid staff are employed to do. I found them in my case to be rude , lazy and incompetent. Everyone should complain direct to the MP , PM ( direct - let him be accountable ) and the press. Make it an general election issue Hopeless and inept and organization. It has a blatant " We do not care attitude that you suffer at every single level" from the top downwards . I served a Freedom of Notice and Subject Access request to see exactly what the LGO actually looked at when it assessed my case. The response is frightening. Everyone should do so that way the LGO are held to account and if necessary go to Court against it .

The LGSCO is just a complete waste of time. I contacted them about my local council and instead of dealing with my complaint they referred it back to the LA who surprisingly concluded that they were right. I took my complaint back to the LGSCO who then said they wouldn't investigate my case unless I supplied them with new evidence which I did, but they claimed my evidence was just me telling the same old story so there's need to reopen the case. I gave them 1 star because I couldn't leave zero stars.

Not worthy of one star

Betrayal
Collusion
Corruption
Coverup
Duplicity
Failure
Gaslighting
Incompetence
Lies
Manipulation
Obfuscation
Pathetic
Stonewalling

I will be naming on 'X' lgscocoverups

Totally biased review of care home for the elderly in the North East of England. The final report utilised mostly wording and information, all be it wrong, supplied by the care home and did not take into account information provided by my wife and me in her complaint.

The Ombudsman was advised of factual matters and these were ignored. Clear errors in the report were pointed out but they chose to leave the errors and finalise with these errors.

All the time and effort to try to strive to get better service from care providers has come to nothing and it appears the Ombudsman has no wish to drive to improve the care sector. Just fobbed of with no proper examination of the facts. I cannot recommend using this service, you may as well bang your head against a brick wall.

My son was killed by « services » and 2 others horrifically failed while we were under attack from them. The LGSCO made it 100 times worse. Rude, slow, lazy, cold. There to cover it all up and refusing to investigate properly. Demanding evidence from me while taking the LA at its word. No idea of the law or common sense. Toxic. Terrifying. Sick.

What a complete waste of time this department is, they are completely useless. I see on Trustpilot they have 99 per cent 1 star reviews. now i know why, I had a very legitimatre case against BCP council social services and them writing incorrect reports with misinformation and wrong facts for a court. I complained to LGO and this departmernt who is supposed to help people were absolutely useless. Dont bother with them. They are like a toothless tiger. they dont help or support anyone, they spend all their time writing to you to tell you why they cant help you. I think its time we abolished them. all they do is support the people you are complaing against.

I'm sure the Ombudsman must do some good work, and having since found out how powerless they are I don't necessarily dispute the decision in my own complaint against the local council. However, the whole process of attempting to complain is awful. Starting with the initial form, having to chop pieces out of your text to meet the word count and not being able to submit the evidence you want to, hoping that there will be a subsequent opportunity. But no, they make a decision based solely on your initial submission, without so much as an email or phonecall to discuss the matter. The person who makes the decision is of course uncontactable and the response letter makes you feel as if you're the one in the wrong. If you then dispute the decision, it is 'rubber stamped' as correct by a manager. Your only recourse after that being the High Court (got deep pockets!). No wonder councils get away with what they do at times.

Is there a zero star score? Do not waste time with them. Go to court as a in person litigant. If you claim less than £ 10,000 you will not face significant costs even if you loose. They have no powers to enforce any of their decisions. They recommended actions in my case and the local authority is dragging their feet 12 months since the final decision and all they said to me was that they cannot do anything about it.