LGOWatch
EVIDENCE SESSION OF THE SELECT
COMMITTEE ON THE OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY
PRIME MINISTER, 15 MARCH 2005
The three Local Government Ombudsmen were questioned on 15
March by the ODPM Select Committee at an Evidence Session on
The Role and Effectiveness of the Local Government Ombudsmen
for England. The Select Committee's report, including the
submitted evidence of systemic LGO bias and maladministration,
can be read here. The General Election was called before the
Committee had the opportunity to respond to the evidence, so the
Report had to be published without their findings. Following the
election, the new ODPM Committee Chair, Dr Phyllis Starkey MP,
(herself a former local authority CEO,) refused to return to the
evidence and complete the Committee's work by providing a
response, claiming that the Committee had more important things
to do. We are appalled at this example of exactly what makes the
British public disdainful towards and cynical about politicians. Click
here to read Jad Adams's article in The Times. It was based on a
longer article that can be read here.