LGOWatch
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SHOULD YOU TAKE YOUR COMPLAINT TO THE LGO?
We regret that we are unable to offer any advice, or enter into any correspondence, on
the question of whether or not you should submit a complaint to the Local Government
Ombudsman; this involves a judgement that can only be made by the complainant
him/herself after carefully considering all the relevant factors.
We can only state that we have concerns about the high risk of an unjust outcome when
complaining to the LGO, involving a waste of time and energy, the negative
psychological effects of injustice, disappointment on discovering that the LGO's actions
can bear little
relationship to his published standards, and the absence of the right of appeal.
Moreover, the Council can then use the Ombudsman's unfair findings to justify their
actions, which will undermine the case of the complainant. Whether complaining to the
Ombudsman or not, it may be prudent to consider other possible courses of action in
addition: contacting the local and national media, (councils are generally sensitive to
negative publicity); writing to your MP; exploring the possibility of private legal action;
and contacting local councillors, especially ones not in the ruling group. The Citizens'
Advice Bureau might also be helpful.
A minority of complainants to the LGO still get their complaints upheld, so you could still
be one of the few, and you may feel you have nothing further to lose by submitting a
complaint to the Ombudsman. If you do so, and you feel that the Ombudsman treats you
unfairly, we certainly hope you will let us know.
If you are currently engaged in a dispute with an organisation that comes under the
Ombudsman's jurisdiction, only to experience even more injustice from the
Ombudsman's office, please remember that you are by no means alone. Despite the
obstacles, we wish you every success in eventually obtaining the fair treatment you
deserve and have a right to expect. We would like to hear your story. We also invite you
to join our campaign.
We regret that we are unable to offer any advice, or enter into any correspondence, on
the question of whether or not you should submit a complaint to the Local Government
Ombudsman; this involves a judgement that can only be made by the complainant
him/herself after carefully considering all the relevant factors.
We can only state that we have concerns about the high risk of an unjust outcome when
complaining to the LGO, involving a waste of time and energy, the negative
psychological effects of injustice, disappointment on discovering that the LGO's actions
can bear little
relationship to his published standards, and the absence of the right of appeal.
Moreover, the Council can then use the Ombudsman's unfair findings to justify their
actions, which will undermine the case of the complainant. Whether complaining to the
Ombudsman or not, it may be prudent to consider other possible courses of action in
addition: contacting the local and national media, (councils are generally sensitive to
negative publicity); writing to your MP; exploring the possibility of private legal action;
and contacting local councillors, especially ones not in the ruling group. The Citizens'
Advice Bureau might also be helpful.
A minority of complainants to the LGO still get their complaints upheld, so you could still
be one of the few, and you may feel you have nothing further to lose by submitting a
complaint to the Ombudsman. If you do so, and you feel that the Ombudsman treats you
unfairly, we certainly hope you will let us know.
If you are currently engaged in a dispute with an organisation that comes under the
Ombudsman's jurisdiction, only to experience even more injustice from the
Ombudsman's office, please remember that you are by no means alone. Despite the
obstacles, we wish you every success in eventually obtaining the fair treatment you
deserve and have a right to expect. We would like to hear your story. We also invite you
to join our campaign.