The Ombudsman
If you are not happy with the way the council has handled your complaint you have the right to refer it to the Ombudsman. There are two Ombudsmen that cover the work of the council – the Local Government Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service. Both Ombudsmen have a slightly different approach to how they investigate complaints. Please see below for more information.
Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)
The LGO investigates complaints about most council services except for those related to housing management. You can make a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman at any time during the process, however, they will usually only investigate a complaint that has completed our own process.
If you wish to contact the Local Government Ombudsman his contact details are:
PO 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Website: www.lgo.org.uk
Housing Ombudsman Service
You can bring a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman Service for investigation if you have completed the Council’s complaints process and the issues have not been resolved. The Housing Ombudsman can also help if the council is not responding to a complaint you made.
You can use the online form to bring a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman.
Contact details for the Housing Ombudsman Service are:
Telephone: 0300 111 3000
Post:
Housing Ombudsman Service
PO Box 1484
Unit D, Preston
PR2 OET
Please see the Housing Ombudsman Service website for further information.
View our Annual complaints report
View our Housing Ombudsman Service self-assessment
Our progress report
Our progress report explains what we are doing to improve how we handle your complaints and enhance the services we provide. After a thorough review by the Housing Ombudsman last October, we've been working hard to make sure our services are better aligned with what you expect and deserve.
This report isn't just about meeting official standards; it's about making real changes that you can feel and see in your interactions with us.
We know that how we handle complaints can deeply affect your trust in us and your satisfaction with our services. That's why we've been reviewing everything from how we listen to your concerns to how quickly and effectively we resolve them. This includes making sure our staff are well-equipped to support you, making our processes clearer and more straightforward, and ensuring that we learn from every feedback to prevent future issues.
In the following sections, you'll find detailed updates on the specific steps we've taken in response to the Ombudsman's recommendations, how these actions have already started to improve our services, and what we plan to do next.
We're committed to being transparent about our progress and ensuring that our improvements continue to focus on making your experience better.
Download our progress report (PDF, 81KB)
Progress against Housing Ombudsman recommendations – August 2024 update (PDF, 93KB)
Improving complaints handling - December 2024 update (PDF, 133KB)