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United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Key definition
Ombudsman definition What does Ombudsman mean? In legal practice, an ombudsman is an independent complaints body providing non‑court redress for maladministration by public authorities or regulated providers, promoting good administration and transparency. The term is descriptive; individual schemes are created by statute with jurisdictions and remedies. Across England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, common features: free and impartial processes; complaints usually after exhausting internal procedures and within time limits; investigations on complaint and, in some schemes, on the ombudsman’s initiative; outcomes range from recommendations (apology, corrective action, systemic change) to monetary redress. Public‑sector determinations are usually recommendatory, but some sectoral ombudsmen can make binding,...
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Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (England): Jurisdiction, Powers, Complaints Procedure, Exclusions and Remedies
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Practice notes
The Local Government Act 1974 (LGA 1974)
The Local Government Act 1974 (LGA 1974) created a Commissioner for local administration, commonly referred to as the LGO, and that term is used throughout this Practice Note. This Practice Note outlines the LGO’s statutory functions, its jurisdiction—including matters it cannot investigate—together with its powers and procedures. It should be read in conjunction with Practice Notes: maladministration—complaints and Maladministration—investigations and reports. The LGO’s mission statement is ‘remedy injustice—help improve local services.’ The LGO’s strategic objectives are to:
- ensure the service is straightforward to find and simple to use
- deliver redress for injustice through impartial, rigorous and proportionate investigations
- apply learning from complaints to help improve local services
- be accountable to the public and use our resources efficiently
The LGO must prepare an annual report on the discharge of its functions in relation to local authorities and present it to those authorities and to parliament. Each local authority receives a tailored report and review of its engagement with the LGO, which is published on the LGO website. A separate report concerning its social care functions must also be produced and presented...
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Web page updated on 21/05/2026
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