The Audit and Governance Committee met to discuss the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) Annual Report, and the Internal Audit Progress Report. The committee approved the recommendations of both reports, and also approved the minutes of the meeting held on 18 August 2025.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Housing Ombudsman Service (HoS) Annual Report

The committee reviewed the LGSCO and HOS Annual Report for 2024/25, which provides an overview of complaints about council services investigated by these independent bodies. Simon Mills, Assistant Director Customer Experience, introduced the report.

The LGSCO investigates complaints about council services, adult social care providers, and social housing. The HOS covers social Landlord Services, including landlord services, tenancy management and repairs.

Key points from the report:

• The LGSCO received 119 complaints relating to North Northamptonshire Council, up from 101 the previous year.
• Of these, 19 (16%) were upheld.
• Education and Children's Services accounted for 73% of the LGSCO's casework.
• The HOS upheld five complaints, up from two the previous year.
• 53% of complaints to the HOS related to repairs.
• A key issue identified by the LGSCO was the timeliness of responses.
• The HOS identified similar issues with complaint handling, with only 40% of stage 1 complaints responded to within 10 working days.

The committee noted that the LGSCO had raised concerns about delays in completing recommendations, particularly regarding payments to complainants. The LGSCO also noted delays in responding to requests for information.

Councillor David Brackenbury raised the issue of complaints received via individual councillors and suggested that the toolkit for responding to MPs' offices could be extended to councillors. He said:

I think we are all concerned, and I think it came up in the training, that we're all rather concerned there is a number or are a number of complaints that are, for whatever reason, either not dealt with or not satisfactorily dealt with, and it's coming back.

Councillor Michael Whitworth raised concerns about delays in issuing Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), which he said had safeguarding implications. He also highlighted delays in making payments to vulnerable people.

Councillor Bill McElhinney noted that nine out of 22 complaints that reached the Ombudsman were upheld, and asked why the council had prevaricated to reach that point. Simon Mills responded that many of the cases related to a lack of school placements for children, which was a national problem.

The committee approved the recommendations to note the content and recommendations of the LGSCO and HOS annual review letters, and the Annual Landlord Complaints and Service Improvement Report.

Internal Audit Progress Report

Rachel Ashley-Caunt presented the Internal Audit Progress Report, which provided an update on the delivery of the year's Internal Audit Plan.

The report summarised the findings of four finalised audit reports:

• Workspace Transformation Project: A good level of assurance was given for both the control environment and compliance at this point in the project.
• Health and Safety in Waste Services: A moderate assurance opinion was given due to gaps around risk assessments and training records.
• Private Sector Housing and Empty Homes: A moderate assurance was given due to gaps in policy and strategy, and inconsistencies in record keeping.
• Public Sector Decarbonisation Funding: A good level of assurance was given in terms of the control environment and compliance.

The report also provided an update on the implementation of actions arising from audits. 16 actions had been marked as implemented since the August progress report, but 66 actions remained overdue.

Councillor Michael Whitworth asked about the implications of not having a policy for empty homes. Rachel Ashley-Caunt clarified that it was not a statutory requirement, but it was something the council may want to prioritise.

Councillor David Brackenbury raised concerns about health and safety in waste services, and the potential insurance implications of not following procedures. He also highlighted the importance of managing Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

Councillor Steve Geary noted the moderate ratings for waste services and the amber ratings for some risk assessments. He asked about investigating this further. He also asked for an explanation of the intelligent client function in relation to the Children's Trust. Rachel Ashley-Caunt explained that the intelligent client function was responsible for monitoring the performance of the Children's Trust¹, and that a review was planned for quarter three of this year.

The committee approved the recommendation to note the Internal Audit Progress Report.