WIREDGOV

The Local Government Ombudsman has committed to transforming the organisation in response to the report of the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee on the work of the LGO, published in July.

By April 2015, the LGO Scheme will have introduced a new business model which handles complaints faster, delivers effective and proportionate dispute resolution, achieves high levels of customer satisfaction and delivers value for money. The restructured organisation will be fit for purpose, resilient and well managed.

LGO Chair, Dr Jane Martin, says “It is essential that the LGO provides the best possible service to citizens and is relevant and resilient in a dynamic local government landscape. Our transformation plan is bold and ambitious and we want to be held properly accountable for implementing our plans. I am particularly glad that the Select Committee recognised the efforts of all our staff during a period of significant change.”

In the response, the LGO have accepted the Committee’s recommendations and made a number of commitments as part of the transformation process over the coming months. These include:

•  Publishing all Ombudsman’s decisions on the website
• Conducting an independent staff survey
• Commissioning independent expertise to develop and publish a methodology to measure complainant satisfaction
• Establishing a stakeholder advisory group
• An internal review of all public information
• An internal review of evidence handling, and
• An independent evaluation of the LGO, including peer review by a UK public sector ombudsman, including a review of complaint processing timescales.

Read the full written response on the Parliament website.

Note to editors

• Local Government Ombudsmen investigate complaints about local authorities and certain other bodies; complaints about injustice in connection with privately arranged and funded adult social care.
• The Local Government Ombudsmen:
  • are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen
  • are independent of Government and councils
  • have the same powers as the High Court to obtain information and documents, and
  • are committed to giving an equal service to all members of the public.
• There is no charge for using the Ombudsman’s service.
• To find out how to make a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman, call the LGO Advice Team on 0300 061 0614, or see the ‘making a complaint’ section of our website (www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint/), or text 0762 480 3014.
• The independent Strategic Business Review and the Commission’s Transformation Plan are available on our website at www.lgo.org.uk/about-us/governance/ See the ‘downloads’ box on that page.
• The LGO Annual Report was published on 12 July and contains more statistics on complaints and enquiries dealt with in 2011/12. See www.lgo.org.uk/publications/annual-report/