Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

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If you are still not satisfied after completing the council's complaints procedure, you can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman who provides an open, accountable and accessible public services complaints system.

The Ombudsman looks into complaints about public bodies and others who provide public services, including the National Health Service, local government, housing associations, the Scottish Government and the Enterprise network.

Before you involve the Ombudsman, you need to have made a formal complaint to the council and have received our final response.

The Ombudsman can consider a complaint only if you have suffered injustice or hardship as a result of administrative failure, failure to provide a service, or failure in a service provided. The Ombudsman cannot consider:

• properly made decisions that the council has a right to make even if you do not agree with the decision
• personnel issues such as appointments of staff, pay or discipline
• most commercial or contractual matters

Ombudsman's Monthly Commentary
You can view the monthly commentaries issued by the Ombudsman here:

Commentaries from 2006
Commentaries from 2007
Commentaries from 2008
Commentaries from 2009
Commentaries from 2010
Commentaries from 2011

You can also read recent ombudsman reports here.

2006:
August 2006 (pdf 60KB)
September 2006 (pdf 67KB)
October 2006 (pdf 53KB)
November 2006 (pdf 61KB)
December 2006 (pdf 57KB)

2007:
February 2007 (pdf 59 KB)
March 2007 (pdf 66 KB)
May 2007 (pdf 71KB)
June 2007 (pdf 72KB)
July 2007 (pdf 67KB)
August 2007 (pdf 69 KB)
September 2007 (pdf 69 KB)
October 2007 (pdf 78 KB)
November 2007 (pdf 73KB)
December 2007 (pdf 85 KB)

2008:
January 2008 (pdf 75 KB)
February 2008 (pdf 88 KB)
March 2008 (pdf 71 KB)
April 2008 (pdf 82KB)
May 2008 (pdf 129KB)
June 2008 (pdf 89KB)
July 2008 (pdf 67KB)
August 2008 (pdf 69KB)
September 2008 (pdf 85KB)
October 2008 (pdf 56KB)
November 2008 (pdf 60KB)
December 2008 (pdf 276KB)

2009:
January 2009 (pdf 53KB)
February 2009 (pdf 59.4KB)
March 2009 (pdf - 302 KB)
April 2009 (pdf - 81.4KB)
May 2009(pdf -59.5 KB)
June 2009(pdf - 90.6 KB)
July 2009)pdf - 100 KB)
August 2009 (pdf - 74.2 KB)
September 2009 (pdf - 76.6 KB)
October 2009 (pdf - 85.8 KB)
November 2009 (pdf - 91.3 KB)
December 2009 (pdf - 76.3 KB)

2010:
February 2010(pdf - 56.9KB)
May 2010(pdf - 67 KB)
June 2010(pdf - 95 KB)
August 2010 (pdf - 65.8Kb)
September 2010 (pdf - 70.9 KB)
October 2010 (pdf - 48.8 KB)
November 2010 (pdf - 58.9 KB)
December 2010 (pdf - 87.2 KB)

2011
January 2011 (pdf - 72.1 KB)
February 2011
March 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011

Reports
You can view recent Ombudsman reports relating to Renfrewshire Council here:

Ombudsman Report 2005 02753(pdf 23KB)
Complaint concerning Renfrewshire Council's alleged delay in progressing a housing benefit appeal.

Ombudsman Report 2005 01862 (pdf 139KB)
Complaint concerning footpath repairs against Renfrewshire Council. This complaint was not upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2005 01692 (pdf 338KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding a vehicular footway crossover. This complaint was not upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2005 02271 (pdf 46KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding Council Tax. This complaint was upheld in part.

Ombudsman Report 2005 02116 (pdf 308KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding recovery of alleged overpayment of Housing Benefit payments. This complaint was upheld in part.

Ombudsman Report 2006 03161 (pdf 41 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding the condition of a neighbouring property. This complaint was upheld in part.

Ombudsman Report 2005-00865 (pdf 50 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding the sale of surplus land. This complaint was not upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2008 00850 (pdf 46 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding an application form on Education Maintenance Allowance. This complaint was upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2008 02776 (pdf 32 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding enforcement action which had been taken. This complaint was not upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2007 01327 (PDF 367 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding Care in the Community/siting of social work facilities. This complaint was upheld.

Ombudsman Report 2007 02891 (pdf 68 KB)
Complaint against Renfrewshire Council regarding fencing around ROF. This complaint was not upheld.

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Contact
Contact the Ombudsman at:

• post: 4 Melville Street
  FREEPOST EH641
  Edinburgh
  EH3 OBR

• email: ask@spso.org.uk
• phone: 0800 377 7330
• fax: 0800 377 7331
• website: www.spso.org.uk