People who have been treated poorly by their local council are all too often having their situations made worse when their council delays putting things right.

In our annual review of local government complaints for 2023-24, we're highlighting for the first time that more than one in five remedies (20.8%) by councils are being implemented later than agreed.

This means that people, who have already gone through the process of complaining to their local authority, and then to us, are waiting even longer for things to be put right.

Over the past year we've upheld 80% of the investigations we carried out, up from 74% in 2022-23.

If you'd like to read about your own local authority's statistics, and the annual letter we have sent to its Chief Executive, you can find them on our interactive map.

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July has obviously brought a change of government and, with it, the likelihood of change for the local authorities and social care providers we oversee.

It will take some time for the extent of that change to be realised, but the recent King’s Speech suggests that more devolved powers will be coming to local areas along with changes in planning, education and transport that will have implications for public services and, as a result, the complaints that come under our jurisdiction. As you would expect, our team are keeping a close eye on developments to ensure that we share our extensive knowledge and data with the government and other interested parties, as new legislation, guidance and policies are developed.

I have spent time meeting colleagues and organisation representatives over the last few months at the Ombudsman Association conference and at the Lawyers in Local Government spring conference. The latter gave some clear examples of how finances continue to impact services within councils and how service redesign is looked at to ensure both delivery and efficiency.

There is no doubt that the local government sector is under significant challenge and that the availability of a well-trained workforce is a concern for social care. These challenges make it even more important to do the basics well and ensure that people who rely on public services are communicated with effectively. When they raise concerns, it is a priority to not just address them but also learn from them.

Our Review of local government complaints reinforces that message and the need to implement promptly the recommendations we make, so that people have the redress and closure they deserve.

We've issued a joint report with colleagues at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to help people working in Integrated Care Systems.

Integrated Care Systems (ICS) are organisations made up of representatives from local authority social services and NHS partnerships that work together to support the needs of people in their areas.

Our report finds these ICSs are often not doing enough to put the vulnerable people they support at the heart of what they do, and many people's experiences are marred by poor communication between the services.

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We asked a Kent care provider to refund some of the fees it wrongly charged a family for their relative’s care, but it has refused to do so.

Following our investigation, we asked Priory Mews Healthcare Ltd to refund part of the money it charged a family for their relative’s four-month stay in 2023. However, the provider has refused, despite there being no contract in place at the time the money was charged.

Because of the provider's refusal, we issued an Adverse Findings Notice which we have shared with care regulator the Care Quality Commission. The notice is the last step of our powers to inform the public in the rare occasions when a care provider decides not to carry out our recommendations.

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