Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Nottinghamshire Council was the subject of dozens of complaints and enquiries to the ombudsman about its actions last year, new figures show.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is responsible for investigating wrongdoing in local public services.

If it finds the council has acted in an unfair or unjust way, the ombudsman will offer recommendations on how to make things right.

According to figures from the body, there were 82 complaints or enquiries made about Nottinghamshire Council in the year to March, up from 66 the year before.

County Hall, Nottinghamshire Council's headquarters in West Bridgford.

After investigation, ombudsman Michael King found the council to have acted unjustly on 16 occasions last year.

The most common reason for coming to the ombudsman in Nottinghamshire was for issues related to education and children’s services, with 33 complaints or enquiries.

The council has been approached for comment.

Mr King said: “One complaint can have immense power to change things for the better.

“The majority of councils agree to the recommendations we make and see them as common-sense ways of providing better services for people in their area."

Across England, councils were found to have acted unjustly on 2,678 occasions, a 27 per cent increase on 2,104 the year before.

He said, while councils act on nearly every recommendation they are given, uptake can be slow, with one in five failing to take them on within the timeframe set out by the ombudsman.

Nationally, the number of complaints rose compared with last year, with 15,826 in the year to March, up 25 per cent from 11,830 last year, but did not quite reach the 17,019 recorded in 2019-20.

Ombudsman receives a dozen complaints and enquiries about Mansfield Council

Problems with education and children’s services were the most common reason to get in touch with the organisation, with 3,145 complaints and enquiries, while there were more than 2,000 each for planning and development, adult social care, and housing.

Healthwatch England, a health and social care champion, said it was concerned about the national rise in complaints about adult social care, suggesting financial pressures may be to blame.

The number of issues raised about the sector rose from 1,670 in 2020-21 to 2,139 in the year to March, including 30 in Nottinghamshire.

The Local Government Association, meanwhile, praised councils for the work they are doing in tricky circumstances.

Ombudsman receives dozens of complaints and enquiries about Nottinghamshire Council