Ombudsman prepares to undertake over 10,000 investigations in 2023-24

In the consultation for its 2023-24 business plan, the ombudsman said the increase next year is “considerably higher” than in the past, with around a four-fold increase. It said to ensure it can meet demand, growth forecasts have been “significantly increased” above its original assumptions.

 

The ombudsman said that an “unprecedented” surge in complaints in 2021-22 has made social housing a “high-complaints sector”, averaging nine ombudsman complaints per 10,000 households for that year.

 

This is “considerably higher” than the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and just short of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

 

In the first half of 2022-23, complaint volumes stabilised at this new, higher benchmark, but the removal of the ‘designated person’ requirements at the start of October created an “expected surge” in incoming volumes, the consultation document said.

 

This change in law means that residents no longer have to contact a designated person or wait eight weeks before referring their complaint to the ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied at the end of their landlord’s complaint process.

 

The ombudsman said this rise in complaints was compounded by further increases following the publication of the coroner’s report on the tragic death of Awaab Ishak, which led to another “surge in enquiries and complaints” to the service.

 

It said the coroner’s findings were foreshadowed by the “seismic increase in severe maladministration findings” it has issued since 2021-22 which, in turn, led to the introduction of sensitivity assessments on its cases awaiting investigation.

 

It said that the cost of living crisis, actions to raise awareness of its service, economic pressures, the removal of the designated person rule and heightened media coverage are also expected to lead to more complaints during 2023-24.

 

The ombudsman said these volumes could become the new normal rather than a reaction to recent events. It said providing an alternative to the courts and ensuring that the most vulnerable residents are aware of the service is essential.

 

It said it wants to be ahead of this demand curve to both meet this increased need and reduce determination times over the year.

 

To meet the rising demand, the ombudsman said that it has introduced a new operating model improving efficiency, and the business plan it is consulting on sets out the resources required to “deliver timeliness, quality and impact”.

 

It said most of its activity in 2022-23 to date had been focused on delivering the “significant headcount expansion” required to meet the “unprecedented surge in demand” experienced during 2021-22.

 

And after forecasting increasing demand following the death of Awaab Ishak, it said its expansion plan will continue into 2023-24.

 

At the end of January, the ombudsman had appointed 196 permanent roles out of a total number of 225 vacancies, representing an expansion of 194 per cent on its headcount as at 31 March 2022.

 

Richard Blakeway, housing ombudsman, said: “Our first priority is to ensure we have the capacity to manage the increased demand for our service.

 

“Presently, every month we receive more casework than we have caseworkers available to investigate. But we have recruited to meet this unprecedented demand, as well as implementing efficiency improvements.

 

“While the climate for recruitment has been challenging, it is evident that many people from diverse backgrounds want to work at the Housing Ombudsman and deliver our vision.

 

“And while my team has worked exceptionally hard at managing the high volumes, we simply have not been able to deliver as many investigations as quickly as we would like, so during 2023-24, we will require more resources so that we can meet both demand and expectations.”