We're not just here for complaints about councils and care providers...
Most of complaints we investigate are about services provided by councils and care providers.
But we can also investigate certain complaints about other public bodies, including fire and rescue services, National Parks Authorities and Drainage Boards.
This month we issued a report about Transport for London (TfL), on its vehicle scrappage schemes designed to help Londoners prepare for the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
We found TfL made changes to the schemes without following due process or informing the public. This meant people had spent time applying for grants, unaware their vehicles were no longer eligible.
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New advisory forum established
As part of our commitment to improving our engagement with our stakeholders, we have set up an advisory forum. This is similar to the complainant forum that we already operate.
The forum, currently made up of representatives from local councils, allows stakeholders to raise comments about our ways of working, share challenges, and contribute to meaningful improvements. The feedback we receive will help to shape how we deliver the best possible service for everyone who uses and engages with us.
At the first meeting, on 26 November, we discussed changes to our Guidance on Remedies. We also discussed what local authorities found most useful about our recommendations, and the ones that are less helpful.
We intend to revisit this discussion topic in the summer to get reflections on the recommendations we have made since the changes to our guidance. This will help us to better understand how our investigators are applying the new guidance in our casework.
You can find our guidance on remedies here: Guidance on remedies - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Sharing our work with your MPs
We attended the first External Services Fair in the House of Commons earlier this month.
Held on18 November, the Fair was a chance for our Policy and Stakeholder Relations Manager and one of our Assistant Ombudsmen to promote our work among MPs and clarify the sorts of complaints we can and cannot investigate.
The successful event saw us speaking to staff from around 100 MPs' offices, who asked questions about what we do and how they might tell constituents about our service.
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