The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has revealed that the majority of complaints it investigated in 2024-2025 against Ealing Council were upheld.
Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the Ombudsman dealt with 166 complaints about Labour-run Ealing Council. Of these, 88 were not for them to investigate. A further 56 were assessed and closed after initial review, leaving 22 complaints that progressed to full investigation.
Of those, 16 were upheld, giving Ealing a 73% uphold rate. While this is lower than the 84% average for similar local authorities in England, the findings highlight areas where the Ombudsman found the council had failed its residents.
Among the 16 upheld complaints included one over how the council dealt with a housing application of a homeless pregnant woman fleeing domestic abuse.
One key concern raised in the Ombudsman’s report is Ealing Council’s poor record of resolving complaints before they escalate. Of the 16 cases upheld, only one had been satisfactorily addressed by the council prior to reaching the Ombudsman – a resolution rate of just 6%, compared to the 12% average among similar authorities across England.
Councillor Gary Malcolm, leader of Ealing Liberal Democrats told EALING.NEWS of his concerns. He said: “Liberal Democrats feel that Labour-run Ealing Council often treat many people as an annoyance. When they raise valid cases they are often ignored meaning they feel the need to complain to the Ombudsman to get a proper response.”
Councillor Malcolm added: “It is a scandal so many people complain. Changing a few processes internally is not enough. They need to root out why this poor culture exists and solve the causes to stop these cases from ever getting this bad.”
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, an Ealing Council spokesperson said: “From April 2024 to March 2025 we have supported tens of thousands of people in the borough of Ealing in child and adult social care settings as well as their housing needs. 4.3% of cases were upheld per 100,000 residents, compared with an average of 9.1% being upheld per 100,000 residents of similar sized local authorities. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found 16 cases of us falling short in the service we provided and we are, or course, very sorry for the individuals involved in those cases.
They added: “We have made some internal changes as a result of the Ombudsman’s recommendations and amended our internal procedures to be more proactive and are providing additional guidance to our officers on statutory duties. The Ombudsman noted we complied with 100% of their recommendations and we are continuing to learn and improve our service following the Ombudsman’s recommendations.”
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