Reorganisation and devolution represent a ‘once-in-a-generation' opportunity to rebuild trust in councils, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said as figures revealed a sharp rise in complaints about English councils.
The Ombudsman's annual review revealed it received 27,625 complaints in 2025-26 – a 33% increase on the previous year and more than double the 16% rise recorded the year before.
Benefits and tax complaints rose fastest, up 65%, followed by housing (46%) and children's services (41%).
Ombudsman Amerdeep Clarke said: ‘A 33% rise in complaints is not a statistical blip. It is a signal.
‘The once-in-a-generation programme of local government reorganisation and devolution now underway presents a genuine opportunity to redesign services, break down the silos that have frustrated joined-up delivery for decades, and find locally-driven solutions to problems that have persisted through successive waves of national reform.'
