When residents believe that their local council has made the wrong decision on an issue, or failed to adequately support them, a complaint can be lodged with the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). The Ombudsman will investigate the complaint in those instances where it has the scope to do so, and will either dismiss or uphold the complaint depending on whether the authority acted correctly. You can find out more about what the LGO does here, along with specific examples of some of the most shocking cases.
These are the local authorities in England which had the most complaints against them upheld in the year 2019/2020.
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These local councils had the most complaints upheld against them in 2020 Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
. Birmingham
119 of 153 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in just five of these cases, or four per cent. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
. Essex
50 of 74 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in none of these cases. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
. Kent
39 of 66 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in just four of these cases, or 10 per cent. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
1. Birmingham
119 of 153 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in just five of these cases, or four per cent. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
2. Essex
50 of 74 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in none of these cases. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
3. Kent
39 of 66 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in just four of these cases, or 10 per cent. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)
4. Norfolk
37 of 59 complaints upheld, with the authority offering a satisfactory resolution in just two of these cases, or five per cent. Photo: (Photo: Shutterstock)