How Often Are Councils Found At Fault? Ombudsman Figures Reveal the Numbers

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Local Residents in the Region Win Only a Handful of Cases Against Councils, Ombudsman Data Shows...

13th March 2026

New figures from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman reveal how often complaints made against local councils across Teesside and County Durham are being upheld — with the results showing significant variation between neighbouring areas...

The figures also come amid growing controversy surrounding the Ombudsman system as a whole, with critics raising concerns about potential bias in investigations and the limited level of compensation typically awarded to residents who suffer injustice at the hands of local councils.

Where does your council lie in the table....? Use our Interactive Map...

Hartlepool

For Hartlepool Borough Council, the Ombudsman upheld one complaint out of every ten investigated, with another one partly upheld. This means two out of every ten complaints examined resulted in some finding of fault against the council, with most being closed at initial enquiries, meaning many of those complaints had been investigated and found either not to be the ombudsman's powers to investigate or they simply didn't have the powers to provide a remedy.

Other North East Councils

Across the wider Teesside and County Durham area, the proportion of upheld complaints varies between local councils:

Middlesbrough Council – 2 out of 10 complaints upheld
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council – 3 out of 10 complaints upheld
Durham County Council – 0 out of 10 complaints upheld
Darlington Borough Council – 2 out of 10 complaints upheld
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council – 1 out of 10 complaints upheld

Among the councils listed, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council recorded the highest rate, with three in ten complaints investigated resulting in a finding of fault.

Growing Questions Over the Ombudsman

The statistics emerge at a time when the role of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman itself is facing scrutiny, with some campaigners and complainants raising concerns about possible institutional bias towards councils, arguing that many cases are rejected before a full investigation ever takes place.

Others have criticised the modest levels of compensation typically recommended, claiming the financial remedies offered often fail to properly reflect the impact of injustice on residents who may have experienced years of poor service or administrative failings.

Last Resort for Residents

The Ombudsman represents the final stage in the complaints process for people who believe they have been treated unfairly by their council after exhausting their local councils own complaints procedure. When complaints are upheld, councils can be required to issue apologies, review procedures, or provide financial compensation.

But with the number of upheld complaints relatively low in many areas, debate continues over whether the system really is providing sufficient accountability for local councils & whether the role of the Ombudsman needs to be looked into.