South East families make most education complaints

Families in the South East are the most likely to lodge complaints about education and children’s services provided by local authorities, according to the Local Government Ombudsman’s annual report. The report revealed that 35% of complaints in the region were related to these services, higher than the national average of 27%. In Surrey, 141 complaints were upheld across various government areas, while Kent, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Medway saw 76, 36, 28, and 16 decisions upheld, respectively.

The Ombudsman, Amerdeep Somal, noted that although most councils aim to comply with recommendations, many struggle due to resource and financial constraints, with one in five councils missing deadlines to correct errors. The overall rate of upheld complaints rose to 80%, a six per cent increase from the previous year, reflecting the challenges faced by local authorities in delivering timely responses and services amidst growing demands. Read More