The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman may only consider complaints where the complainant claims to have suffered personal injustice. Whether they could investigate complaints relating to procurement matters would depend on the specific circumstances of the individual complaint.

Where matters of procurement policy are raised with local auditors, the auditor would need to determine whether the matters raised are directly related to the local authority’s accounts and/or would justify issuing a report in the public interest.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is not able to investigate the actions of local authorities.

There are no specific legal powers invested in independent, external bodies to take action over breaches of procurement guidance.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) provides members of the public with a vital complaints resolution service for when things go wrong with the public services they rely on. Their investigations provide the public with personal redress and improve the delivery of these services by local authorities. Most of their complaints are about key public services, such as children’s services, adult social care and homelessness.

The Government has no plans to bring town and parish councils within the LGSCO’s scope.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education is the principal regulator for academies. All academies are required to have a complaints process which adheres to Part 7 of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014. This sets out that it is the academy’s responsibility to handle and resolve any complaints against them. If a complainant has concerns that an academy did not handle a complaint in line with the regulations, they can then escalate to the department, whose role it is to consider whether the academy followed the correct process.

Anyone can object to the Schools Adjudicator if they have concerns about a school’s admission arrangements. The Schools Adjudicator considers objections to the admission arrangements of all mainstream state-funded schools, including mainstream academy and free schools. The Adjudicator’s decision is binding.

The department also considers complaints about maladministration in independent appeal panels in relation to school admissions and complaints about maladministration in independent review panels in relation to permanent exclusions. Decisions taken by panels in both circumstances are legally binding and the department is unable to overturn decisions taken. However, parents can contact the department if they have concerns that the appeal or review panel was not held in compliance with relevant legislation or statutory guidance. If the department upholds a complaint, then a fresh appeal may be requested. If a complainant wishes to take their complaint further following the department’s consideration, they are advised to seek independent legal advice.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) can investigate complaints about maintained schools in certain circumstances. The department is considering the LGSCO’s Triennial Review, including their recommendations around school complaints, and will respond in due course.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help tackle fly-tipping including fixed penalty notices and seizing vehicles. They can also prosecute which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. It is for local authorities to determine what enforcement action, if any, is appropriate in the circumstances.

We are considering whether further guidance for local authorities is necessary with regards to fly-tipping enforcement. Any announcements on this will be made in the usual way.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is independent of Government. It publishes information on staffing and its performance in its Annual Report and Resource Accounts which are laid before Parliament. Operational decisions on the location of PHSO offices are also matters for the Ombudsman and the Hon. Member should write to the Ombudsman on these matters.

The Government published the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill in December 2016, setting out in detail its plans to introduce a new Public Service Ombudsman. The proposals contained in the draft Bill seek to bring together the responsibilities of the current Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman to create a new organisation with strengthened governance and accountability. The Government intends to introduce the Bill when parliamentary time allows. A copy of the draft Bill has been placed in the Library of the House and it can also be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/draft-public-service-ombudsman-bill

In December 2015 the Government confirmed its intention to bring forward draft legislation to create a Public Service Ombudsman, encompassing the existing jurisdictions of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman. The intention remains to publish a draft Bill in this parliamentary session.

In December 2015 the Government confirmed its intention to bring forward draft legislation to create a Public Service Ombudsman, encompassing the existing jurisdictions of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman. The intention remains to publish a draft Bill in this parliamentary session.

We are considering the extension of the jurisdiction of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish and town councils in the context of the establishment of a single Public Service Ombudsman. It is our intention in the coming months to publish draft legislation making provision for a Public Service Ombudsman, including their jurisdiction, and accordingly we envisage indicating the Government’s response to the consultation when that draft legislation is published.

There is no requirement that a councillor who is subject of, or mentioned in, a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman be informed of the nature of the complaint or the identity of the complainant. However, the Local Government Ombudsman’s practice is to request that local authorities ensure all interested parties within the local authority are aware of the investigation and are able to comment before the Ombudsman comes to a final decision.

The consultation on extending the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish and town councils closed on 30 June and we are now carefully considering the 108 responses we received from parish and town councils, district councils, local government representative bodies and members of the public.

We are doing this in the context of our intention, as announced in the Queen’s speech, to publish in this Parliamentary session a draft Bill creating a single Public Service Ombudsman.

The Local Government Ombudsman is independent of both Government and local authorities as regards their determination of specific cases but is accountable to Parliament for the performance of the Local Government Ombudsman service and is statutorily required to lay before Parliament its annual report and accounts.

In addition the Communities and Local Government Committee have held inquiries into the service's work which has involved the Local Government Ombudsman giving evidence before the Committee.

In the Queen's Speech, the Government announced that it would publish a draft Bill creating a single Public Service Ombudsman in this Parliamentary session. In establishing such a Public Services Ombudsman which will improve redress when things go wrong, the Government would put arrangements in place to ensure that there is clear and transparent accountability for this new Ombudsman service.