Ombudsmen join up to put things right
01 Aug 2007
Press release 05/07
Three public sector Ombudsmen have today been granted new powers which will improve and streamline the way they work together on complaints that cross the boundaries between their jurisdictions.
A new Regulatory Reform Order means that, for the first time, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and Local Government Ombudsmen can share information, carry out joint investigations and issue joint reports on cases which are relevant to more than one of them.
Until now, if a case spanned their jurisdictions, the Ombudsmen have had to conduct parallel investigations and publish separate reports of their findings. One high profile example of this was a complaint made by Mr and Mrs Balchin, reported on by the Parliamentary Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman in October 2005. Mr and Mrs Balchin’s complaint was against the Department of Transport and Norfolk County Council in relation to the Council’s refusal to purchase Mr and Mrs Balchin’s former home in advance of an intended road bypass scheme. Although the investigation reached a positive conclusion (Mr and Mrs Balchin were awarded £200,000 compensation, with the Department and the Council each contributing half), the investigation took a long time and the Ombudsmen had to issue separate reports.
The Regulatory Reform (Collaboration between Ombudsmen) Order 2007 has been developed in close consultation with the Ombudsmen and has been subject to public consultation and detailed Parliamentary scrutiny.
These reforms are in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Principles of Good Administration launched in March 2007, which place a strong emphasis on being customer focused and seeking continuous improvement.
Ann Abraham, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, said: “This reform is a significant step forward that will allow us to work with the LGO more effectively to improve the experience for the complainant. It is important that we do all we can to remove constraints on our ability to provide a service that meets the needs of the customer and makes complaining as simple and efficient as possible.”
Tony Redmond , Chairman of the Commission for Local Administration in England (Local Government Ombudsman), said: “Increasingly public services are delivered on a partnership basis and this reform will enable our Offices to provide an efficient, joined-up service when complaints cross the boundaries of our jurisdiction. Complainants will benefit from a more accessible and responsive service, which is very much part of our commitment to delivering public value.”
Notes for editors
- The Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman are appointed by the Crown and are completely independent of the Government and Civil Service.
- Ann Abraham holds both posts as Parliamentary Ombudsman and also Health Service Ombudsman for England. Her role is to provide a service to the public by undertaking independent investigations into complaints that government departments, a range of other public bodies in the UK, and the NHS in England, have not acted properly or fairly or have provided a poor service.
- There are three Local Government Ombudsmen in England and they each deal with complaints from different parts of the country. Local Government Ombudsmen investigate complaints of injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities and certain other bodies. There is no charge for using the Ombudsman’s service.
- The procedure for making a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman is explained in a free booklet, Complaint about the council? How to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman obtainable (in English and 10 other languages) from council offices, Citizens Advice Bureaux or direct from the Local Government Ombudsman at 10th Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP. It is also available in Braille, in large print or on tape direct from the Local Government Ombudsman.
- The report on the case of Mr and Mrs Balchin, Redress in the Round: Remedying maladministration in central and local government HC 475, 12 October 2005 is available on our website, and from The Stationery Office (Order line: 0845 7 023474)
- Visit our websites, www.ombudsman.org.uk, www.lgo.org.uk
Media enquiries
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman: for further information please contact the Press Office on 0300 061 4996.
Local Government Ombudsman: for further information please contact Jackie Feeney, Head of Communications, on 0300 061 4719.
