Legal aid access for digitally excluded
Insufficient provision and access to legal aid for digitally excluded individuals, exacerbated by reliance on remote advice.
Source spread
Where this theme appears
This theme appears across 13 independent accountability sources, so the source mix matters as much as the headline total.
7 inquiry recs
1 PFD report
151 committee recs
8 NAO recs
15 IMB recs
1 IMB report
4 detention investigation recs
7 DHR recs
5 PHSO decisions
19 LGO/SPSO decisions
2 CJINI reports
Browse by source
Source-grouped records are useful for tracing where a concern came from. Large sections show the 50 strongest matches for that source; counts still show the full theme total.
Inquiry recommendations(7)
143 — Legal aid before the Sheriff
Recommendation: Consideration should be given to securing that legal aid is available in the proceedings before the Sheriff (18.22).
Unknown
151 — Representation before Hearings
Recommendation: In considering the whole question of the representation of children and of their parents before Children’s Hearings attention should be paid to the necessity to avoid the introduction of any formal or adversarial character into the proceedings (18.33).
Unknown
141 — Application for recall within seven days
Recommendation: A parent, guardian or safeguarder of the child should be entitled to apply to the Sheriff for recall of the Order at any time within seven days after the removal of the child (18.20).
Unknown
HIA-11 — Legal Aid for Applicants
Recommendation: We recommend that applicants should be eligible for legal aid to allow them to obtain legal assistance to make an application for an award.
Gov response: No formal government response published. The Inquiry reported on 20 January 2017, the month the Northern Ireland Executive collapsed; the report The Executive Office and the Northern Ireland Office laid before Parliament in September 2019 …
Unknown
AC-1c — Legal Support Signposting
Recommendation: IBCA include a prominent reference to the availability of legal support paid by IBCA on all registration and application forms and in public information about the compensation scheme and that the Solicitors Regulation Authority remind solicitors of their obligations.
Gov response: Today (Monday 21 July 2025) we have given our response to the Infected Blood Inquiry additional report published on 9 July. We accept all recommendations in the report for IBCA.
Accepted
MACP-43 — Provide Legal Aid for victims' families for representation at appropriate inquests.
Recommendation: That consideration be given to the provision of Legal Aid to victims or the families of victims to cover representation at an Inquest in appropriate cases.
Unknown
IR2-15 — Support Services for Applicants
Recommendation: I recommend that the scheme should include provision of the following support services to be provided without charge to the applicant: a) an advice and advocacy service, supplemented where necessary by discretionary access to independent legal advice and representation, where …
Gov response: With respect to recommendations 15 and 17 of the Second Interim Report, the Government acknowledges the immense psychological harm that has been caused as a result of this scandal, and is committed to offering psychological …
Accepted
Prevention of Future Deaths reports(1)
Select committee recommendations(151)— showing 50 strongest matches
#44 —
Recommendation: The Government should commission a review to understand the extent of predictive analytics in public-facing services, their likely trajectory over the next five years and the effects on digital exclusion policy. In the meantime the Government should require public service …
Response attribution not verified
#43 —
Recommendation: As public-facing services become increasingly digitised, machine learning tools and predictive analytics are likely to influence policy choices and service delivery. Digitally excluded groups are at risk of being poorly represented in key datasets, and hence face further marginalisation.
Response attribution not verified
#41 —
Recommendation: As part of the strategy refresh, the Government should audit public sector websites for compliance with accessibility standards and regulations.
Response attribution not verified
#40 —
Recommendation: Too many online services have poor accessibility for those with additional needs.
Response attribution not verified
#39 —
Recommendation: Not everyone wants to be online, or online all the time. And some services are better in person. Private and public service providers should avoid viewing digital as a cheap substitute for good customer service. Adequate provision must be maintained …
Response attribution not verified
#38 —
Recommendation: The Government’s digital inclusion strategy refresh should include support for place-based in-person initiatives to help those who cannot navigate online access to essential services. This could include boosting the role of libraries, community centres and local amenities as inclusion hubs, …
Response attribution not verified
#37 —
Recommendation: The shift towards digital by default public services has not been accompanied by commensurate support for those who struggle with digital access. Libraries and community organisations have taken on additional responsibilities to fill these gaps, but without sufficient resources and …
Response attribution not verified
#9 —
Recommendation: DSIT should establish a cross-government digital exclusion unit. It should have a mandate for co-ordinating external stakeholders and working across departments to embed digital exclusion in priority policy areas, notably economic growth; levelling up; public health; education and skills; and …
Response attribution not verified
#8 —
Recommendation: We have no confidence that the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is making digital exclusion a priority in cross-Whitehall policy-making. There do not appear to be adequate formal structures for co-ordinating policy, updating targets, or reviewing progress at …
Response attribution not verified
#7 —
Recommendation: The Government should publish a refreshed digital inclusion strategy within six months of responding to this report. In the meantime it should provide an update on progress against the 2014 strategy objectives in response to this report.
Response attribution not verified
#6 —
Recommendation: The Government has taken its eye off the ball. It has not refreshed the digital inclusion strategy since 2014 and seems to have ceased formally monitoring progress on it. The principles set out in the strategy may endure but the …
Response attribution not verified
#5 —
Recommendation: Tackling digital exclusion would support a range of high-profile Government commitments, notably levelling up, improving public health and achieving net zero. There is also a strong civic case for addressing digital exclusion. It would help ensure many of the most …
Response attribution not verified
#17 —
Recommendation: Increasing use of digital communication can leave behind people in vulnerable circumstances, including older people and those with disabilities of mental and physical health, who need or prefer alternative communication channels.45 Citizens Advice told the committee that companies increasingly using …
#35 —
Recommendation: Remote advice can help extend provision, but it cannot be treated as a complete substitute for local face-to-face services, particularly for digitally excluded or vulnerable clients and for cases involving court proceedings. (Conclusion, Paragraph 108)
Response status not verified
#27 —
Recommendation: While we welcome Ofcom’s focus on affordability of broadband services, and the measures introduced across the telecoms industry to make websites and mobile data available to those who need it during the Covid-19 outbreak, more needs to be done to …
Response attribution not verified
#26 —
Recommendation: We commend the work done by cultural and fitness organisations, both before and during the Covid-19 crisis, to move access to content and facilities online. In the immediate future, DCMS should work with HM Treasury to develop a data voucher …
Response attribution not verified
#25 —
Recommendation: Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, vulnerable people across the country have suffered as a result of being excluded from digital services and communication. Yet initiatives to tackle the issue, such as the DevicesDotNow campaign, have been limited by a lack of …
Response attribution not verified
#42 —
Recommendation: The Government should consider enabling the Legal Aid Agency to provide specific support to legal aid providers to bring in trainees. This support should be targeted to areas where there is a particular shortage of specialist advice.
Response attribution not verified
#38 —
Recommendation: Online legal services should not be seen as a replacement for traditional face-to-face services, especially when such a high proportion of those who qualify for legal aid do not always have reliable access to digital technology. That said, we agree …
Response attribution not verified
#36 —
Recommendation: The basis for the radical change required in civil legal aid requires the Government to establish the level of need for civil legal aid services in England and Wales. Once that is established, the Government needs to ensure that suppliers …
Response attribution not verified
#35 —
Recommendation: Sustainability issues for civil legal aid providers are sufficiently serious to justify a complete overhaul of the system. A number of witnesses have highlighted that a combination of number of fundamental problems rather than one or two specific issues contribute …
Gov response: We agree that the sustainability of civil legal aid providers is an important issue and are continuing to consider the best approach internally. We continue to engage with stakeholders on this issue and will engage …
Position Not Stated
#33 —
Recommendation: Civil legal aid, like criminal legal aid, needs the Government to take decisive action to change the approach set by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 at the start of the last decade. Without such a …
Response attribution not verified
#32 —
Recommendation: We recognise the strength of Richard Miller’s suggestion that judges should be empowered to make a direction that an individual needs representation and that it should be binding on the Legal Aid Agency to provide exceptional case funding in that …
Response attribution not verified
#30 —
Recommendation: We welcome the Government’s decision to review the means test for both civil and criminal legal aid. There is a strong consensus among witnesses that any revised means test for civil legal aid should be simpler, for example by using …
Response attribution not verified
#5 —
Recommendation: The lack of any increase to criminal legal aid fees for solicitors over the past 20 years needs to be addressed. Sir Christopher Bellamy’s current review, commissioned by the Government, gives an opportunity to do this. Thereafter, fees and rates …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — Many calls could be digital, yet some services remain offline and customers need assistance.
Recommendation: While the use of digital services has increased, HMRC still estimates that 66% of telephone calls could have been handled online. HMRC said this partly reflects customer awareness of the extent of its digital services. It started a campaign in …
Response attribution not verified
#3 — Understand digital service replacement capacity and ensure minimum telephone service for all customers.
Recommendation: HMRC has been too willing to let its telephone services fail in the hope this forces people to use its digital services instead. HMRC estimates 66% of calls it receives could be handled online instead. It hopes that by encouraging …
Response attribution not verified
#6 — Publish refreshed Digital Inclusion Strategy with detailed focus on older people’s digital needs.
Recommendation: The Government must bring forward a refreshed Digital Inclusion Strategy. The Strategy should have a detailed focus on the needs of digitally excluded older people, including a plan for funding locally delivered digital skills provision and promoting best practice in …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Government’s outdated Digital Inclusion Strategy fails to address older people’s digital exclusion.
Recommendation: Older age is not in itself a cause of digital exclusion but strongly correlates with some of the key measures, including lack of broadband at home and non-ownership of a smartphone. There is also a large number of “hidden” digitally …
Response attribution not verified
#121 — Challenge businesses and local government to support financial inclusion for cash-reliant disabled people.
Recommendation: The Department for Business and Trade, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury must work together to challenge businesses and local government to set out how they are supporting financial inclusion, particularly for people who rely …
Response attribution not verified
#120 — Broaden Financial Inclusion Committee remit and regularly publish evidence on equitable cash access.
Recommendation: HM Treasury must broaden the terms of reference of the Financial Inclusion Committee on “digital inclusion and access to banking services” explicitly to address the risk that a two-tier economy will lock the digitally excluded out of the economy. HM …
Response attribution not verified
#119 — Cash remains essential for vulnerable groups, as digital solutions may not ensure full financial inclusion.
Recommendation: Cash is an enduring payment method that many people prefer to use and on which people who do not have equal access to non-cash payment methods rely. Although technology may progress further and reduce the number of people who rely …
Response attribution not verified
#26 — Introduce Jobcentre outreach work as a core service, taking support into local communities.
Recommendation: DWP needs to break Jobcentres out of their four walls. It should make outreach work, with staff taking Jobcentre services into the community and to locations that people trust, a core part of the new service. DWP should include larger-scale …
Response attribution not verified
#17 — Increasing numbers of unrepresented litigants affect family court efficiency, despite data limitations.
Recommendation: The proportion of cases where neither party was represented in family courts was 39% in 2024, three times that in 2013.31 Many stakeholders who provided written submissions told us that people going through legal disputes without legal representation (litigants in …
Response status not verified
#26 — Universal broadband availability is crucial for the BBC's equitable transition to online services.
Recommendation: The inability to maintain “universal, easy-to-access distribution” is one of the BBC’s principal risks.59 When we asked about how the BBC is preparing for the transition to online, the BBC told us that any move towards it must ensure “no …
Response attribution not verified
#5 — Set out plans to ensure access and engagement with all audiences, including digital innovation.
Recommendation: The BBC’s mission to ‘serve all audiences’ is at risk as younger audiences choose other media providers, while the BBC’s digital- first strategy could risk alienating non digital audiences. As younger viewers turn to other platforms and older or less …
Response attribution not verified
#14 — LAA explores contract barriers and funds travel to improve legal aid access for vulnerable.
Recommendation: We asked MoJ and LAA for an update on what they are doing to ensure that different groups can access legal aid, particularly those for whom remote advice may not be suitable. LAA explained that since the previous Committee’s evidence …
Response attribution not verified
#13 — MoJ failed to detail alternative legal aid routes for those unable to use remote advice.
Recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response to our predecessor’s 2024 report, MoJ acknowledged that while remote advice can be effective, some people will always require face-to-face advice. It said that it had worked with stakeholders to identify safeguards and better understand …
Response attribution not verified
#12 — Legal aid deserts' and remote advice disproportionately exclude vulnerable groups from justice.
Recommendation: Our predecessor Committee’s May 2024 report on legal aid in England and Wales raised concerns around access to legal aid advice in areas of the country lacking face-to-face provision of legal aid. Where there are gaps in provision MoJ and …
Response attribution not verified
#1 — Committee reviewed HMP Dartmoor lease, legal aid provision, and LAA cyberattack management.
Recommendation: We took evidence from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to follow up on our recent scrutiny of several topics. This included HMPPS’s management of the lease renewal at …
Response attribution not verified
#3 — Require MoJ and LAA to set out plans for digitally excluded legal aid access and provision.
Recommendation: We are not satisfied that MoJ and the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) are doing enough to ensure that people eligible for legal aid can access it, particularly those who are digitally excluded. This Committee previously raised concerns that LAA’s reliance …
Response attribution not verified
#42 —
Recommendation: The Government should encourage private sector organisations to adopt website design accessibility standards used by the public sector. This could start with the most significant public-facing services, for example in healthcare, finance and housing.
Response attribution not verified
#36 —
Recommendation: The Government should ensure community-level interventions feature prominently in its digital inclusion strategy refresh. This does not mean they need to offer formal qualifications. The Government should work with funders and local authorities to review the criteria and systems for …
Response attribution not verified
#35 —
Recommendation: Formal qualifications are not always the best way to help adults obtain basic digital skills. Local interventions and more informal engagements delivered through community hubs can provide a key way of reaching digitally excluded individuals, and building the motivation, confidence …
Response attribution not verified
#32 —
Recommendation: Millions of people still lack the most basic digital skills for work and life. This problem affects a range of age groups. Addressing it should be a Government priority but there is insufficient leadership to make this happen.
Response attribution not verified
#4 —
Recommendation: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should work with the Treasury and external stakeholders to publish (a) an assessment of the likely economic impact of digital exclusion over the next 10 years; and (b) value for money assessments of …
Response attribution not verified
#2 —
Recommendation: There have been positive developments in providing online solutions to providing court services, but pending full roll out of HMCTS’s cloud video platform, we recommend that the Ministry of Justice sets out the steps it is taking to ensure that …
Response attribution not verified
#24 —
Recommendation: As well as impacting the labour market, the adoption of new technology is likely to affect the way DWP delivers its services. As DWP moves more of its services online, it must ensure that people with low digital literacy, who …
Response attribution not verified
#43 —
Recommendation: If the Government were to accept the recommendations we have made on how to approach criminal and civil legal aid it will be necessary to address the Legal Agency Aid’s priorities, its institutional capacity and how it uses its resources. …
Response attribution not verified
#41 —
Recommendation: The Government should consider creating a system of earned autonomy that places more trust in the decision making of providers with strong records of high-quality decision making. The Agency’s processes should have some incentives for providers to work towards gradually …
Response attribution not verified
NAO audit recommendations(8)
Government’s management of legal aid
LAA should continue to develop its contracting approach to improve the attractiveness of legal aid markets to providers for civil legal aid as well as criminal legal aid. As part of this it should look to reduce barriers to providers …
Accepted
Government’s management of legal aid
MoJ should work with providers and representative bodies to establish a workforce strategy that considers the pipeline of future legal aid lawyers and their training to ensure future supply is sufficient to meet its objectives for access to justice, thereby …
Partially accepted
Government’s management of legal aid
MoJ should, working with LAA and others, ensure that those who want (and are eligible for) legal aid can access it in future by improving: ? how it monitors whether those who apply for its exceptional case funding scheme individually …
Accepted
Government’s management of legal aid
MoJ should, working with LAA and others, ensure that those who want (and are eligible for) legal aid can access it in future by improving: ? its view of demand and capacity in the legal aid market, for example, by …
Accepted
Progress with Making Tax Digital
f) Resolve questions around the choice of accessible software options and provision of free software, for self-employed people and landlords under Making Tax Digital and assess the implications on functionality and costs to customers if HMRC relies on software providers …
Accepted
Improving family court services for children
HMCTS, MoJ and DfE should review available support for families through court proceedings and assess opportunities for better support to litigants in person and families more widely, including how to improve guidance for family court applicants by learning from the …
Accepted
Progress with Making Tax Digital
j) Develop plans for how it will help taxpayers prepare for MTD. This should include a particular focus on those who are less digitally able and ensure the process for seeking exemptions is sufficiently accessible.
Accepted
Customer service
e. HMRC should develop a plan for how it will support customers to use and keep using digital services. Deflection methods may be justified where queries can be fully handled digitally, but HMRC must also be more proactive in helping …
Partially accepted
IMB individual recommendations(15)
Gatwick IRC (2021)
Serco should work with the Legal Aid Agency law firms and the Home Office to ensure a return to fixed time and on-site in-person appointments for detained men (section 7.2.4).
Governor / Director
Heathrow Short Term Holding Facility (2020)
[London Heathrow & London City Airports] The Home Office should arrange that detainees have effective and timely access to legal advice (para. 8.10 – 8.11; 17.4).
Home Office
Gatwick IRC/RSTHF (2022)
Improve the quality of legal service provided to the detained men, at least when renewing the service contract with the Legal Aid Agency, and by providing robust feedback to the firms (section 7.2.3).
Home Office
Gatwick IRC (2021)
Home Office should work with the Legal Aid Agency law firms and Serco to ensure a return to fixed time and on-site in-person appointments for detained men (section 7.2.4).
Home Office
Ford (2020)
You may remember that HMP Ford developed and extensively tested an innovative IT unit with limited and secure internet access which sat empty for two years. This unit could have been put to vital use during COVID-19 to enable prisoners to start the online registration for Universal Credit, search for employment in these trying times for the country prior to …
HMPPS
In Progress
Wakefield (2022)
We repeat our recommendation in the 2020-21 annual report and ask HMPPS to explore the possibility of implementing a nationally available set of legal resources for prisoners, including easy access to Prison Service Orders and Instructions.
HMPPS
Implemented
London short term holding facilities (STHF) (2025)
We would like a review of the purpose of the lists of legal advice providers so that those who are detained do not have unrealistic expectations.
Home Office
Gatwick IRC (2024)
Ensure that suitable training and support is provided so that professional interpretation services are used effectively in communications with the detained men, particularly in sensitive contexts such as ACDT, VACP and Rule 40 reviews.
Governor / Director
Partially Accepted
Gatwick IRC (2024)
Implement the provision of travel plans (in a suitable language and with suitable explanations) to men being released from Gatwick who will be travelling on their own by public transport.
Governor / Director
Partially Accepted
Gatwick IRC (2024)
Ensure that professional interpretation is used during the reception process, to ensure that detained men fully understand what they are being told and are able to make properly informed commitments (such as the IT use policy).
Governor / Director
In Progress
Gatwick IRC (2024)
Conduct an audit to identify how it is possible that men deemed to lack legal capacity have been asked to sign immigration papers in detention and why men are not receiving their monthly report or not receiving it on time.
Home Office
Rejected
Gatwick IRC (2024)
Ensure that suitable training and support is provided so that professional interpretation services are used effectively to ensure communication with detained men is clear and transparent. Ensure that a translation into their own language is provided alongside all documents.
Home Office
Partially Accepted
London short term holding facilities (STHF) (2025)
The Board would like to see access to Wi-Fi for detained people across all the holding rooms. The trial started late in the year and has been halted. We are pleased to note that there is the intention to restart the trial.
Ministry of Justice
Belmarsh (2025)
Will the Prison Service look at ways of providing a technological solution, such as computer tablets, to assist in translations for foreign national prisoners with limited English, particularly in a healthcare setting?
HMPPS
In Progress
Wakefield (2021)
Explore the possibility of implementing a nationally available set of legal resources for prisoners, including easy access to Prison Service Orders and Instructions.
HMPPS
Implemented
Detention investigations(4)
Assessment of government progress in implementing the report on the … — Rec 5
I repeat my recommendation that the internet access policy should be reviewed with a view to increasing access to sites that enable detainees to pursue and support their immigration claim, to prepare for their return home, and to maximise contact with their families.
Immigration Detention
Investigation into the Failing of Medomsley Detention Centre — Rec 2
The second is around the complaints process for children in custody. I have made a notable observation that the system for children to make a complaint in today’s criminal justice system remains broadly the same as the system in place when Medomsley operated. To make a complaint, children must write …
Prisons
Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons — Rec 30
The internet access policy should be reviewed with a view to increasing access to sites that enable detainees to pursue and support their immigration claim, to prepare for their return home, and which enable them to maximise contact with their families. This should include access to Skype and to social …
Immigration Detention
Investigation into Allegations of Racism and Mistreatment of Detainees at … — Rec 5
I recommend that IND’s Detainee Estate Population Management Unit (DEPMU) staff are reminded of the emotional and practical problems (including access to legal advice) associated with movement, and encouraged to keep moves to a minimum.
Immigration Detention
Independent reviews(5)
Shaw Detention Review — Rec 30
Recommendation 30: The internet access policy should be reviewed with a view to increasing access to sites that enable detainees to pursue and support their immigration claim, to prepare for their return home, and which enable them to maximise contact with their families. This should include access to social media.
Immigration
McGregor-Smith Review — Rec 13
Job specifications should be drafted in plain English and provide an accurate reflection of essential and desirable skills to ensure applications from a wider set of individuals.
Other
Carol Black Drugs Review (Part 2) — Rec 18
We recommend that MoJ ensure that everyone leaving prison has identification and a bank account and that those who cannot claim benefits online get the opportunity, from the day of release, to access DWP's telephony service. MoJ and its partners should make sure that prisoners with drug dependence can access …
Health & Social Care
Wade-Gery Review — Rec 2
Recommendation 2: consider and mitigate digital inequality in all service transformation. Expand the role of the SRO for Health Inequalities to include digital inequality There are undoubtedly ways in which digital approaches improve access to health care services, for example, for individuals who are immobile, who cannot afford to travel, …
Health & Social Care
Angiolini Review — Rec 33
In order to facilitate their effective participation in the whole process there should be access for the immediate family to free, non-means tested legal advice, assistance and representation from the earliest point following the death and throughout the pre- inquest hearings and Inquest hearing.
Policing & Security
Accepted
PHSO casework decisions(5)
P-001891 — Legal Aid Agency
Ms V complained the Agency gave incorrect legal aid advice, impacting her relationship with solicitors and a child order. She also cited poor communication and challenged a legal aid appeal decision.
UK Government
Mar 2023
P-002819 — Companies House
Mr F complained Companies House failed to provide a reasonable adjustment for filing accounts and provided poor complaint handling, causing distress and inability to file.
UK Government
Jul 2024
P-003982 — Legal Aid Agency
Miss X complained the Legal Aid Agency failed to provide a breakdown of costs, a final bill, or an estimate of potential costs for her legal case. She stated this caused distress.
UK Government
Sep 2025
P-003836 — Legal Aid Agency
Mr A complained the LAA altered his financial evidence, leading to higher legal fee contributions, and delayed correcting the assessment. He reported financial difficulties and stress due to legal threats.
UK Government
Jul 2023
P-002438 — Legal Aid Agency
Miss H complained the Legal Aid Agency wrongly disallowed her 2021 application, causing a miscarriage of justice due to lack of representation at appeal and sentencing hearings.
UK Government
Feb 2024
LGO / SPSO decisions(19)
21-006-744 — Wiltshire Council
Summary: Mr X complains the consultation for the Local Plan Review was held online. He feels this discriminates against people who do not have online access. He would like to ensure that consultations are fully inclusive. We will not investigate further, as we are unlikely to find fault, provide the …
LGO (Local Government & …
Planning
Not Upheld
Jul 2022
23-012-790 — Brighton & Hove City Council
Summary: Mr X complains the Council is refusing to pay his Housing Benefit by any other means except banks transfer. I have concluded my investigation having not made a finding of fault. The Council has discretion with how to make Housing Benefit payment, and there is nothing in the legislation …
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Not Upheld
May 2024
22-007-160 — Birmingham City Council
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint the Council’s clean air zone signs are not adequate and that the charge payment method discriminates against those who do not have the internet or a mobile telephone. There is insufficient personal injustice.
LGO (Local Government & …
Transport And Highways
Sep 2022
24-022-102 — Blackpool Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council failing to respond to Mr X’s requests for information, and not considering his requests for disability adjustments. This is because the Information Commissioner’s Office is best placed to consider the first part of this matter, and only the courts can …
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Apr 2025
25-011-165 — East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Mr X’s council tax. This is because the injustice from no online access is not significant enough to justify our involvement. We will not investigate other parts of Mr X’s complaint because he can appeal, and there is not enough evidence of …
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Dec 2025
22-005-134 — North Somerset Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint the Council’s preference for on-line communication is discriminatory. That is because there is not enough evidence of fault to justify our involvement.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Oct 2022
23-021-228 — West Lindsey District Council
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about Council Tax support as it is reasonable to expect her to apply using the Council’s web application. And the Information Commisioner’s Office is better placed to consider her subject access request complaint.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
May 2024
23-018-649 — London Borough of Havering
Summary: Miss B complained that the Council was preventing her from paying her council tax, because it would not provide a method of payment which did not require a bank account. We have found some fault. The Council has agreed to consider whether Miss B is entitled to a payment …
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Upheld
Aug 2024
25-007-329 — Cambridge City Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s management of Mr X’s council tax account nor its failure to make its telephone line more accessible for disabled users. This is because an investigation would not lead to a different outcome for Mr X.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Oct 2025
201305715 — Scottish Legal Aid Board
Mr C complained that the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) handled his funding application unreasonably. He was in extended correspondence with them before formally complaining and, after he did so, he was also unhappy at their handling of his complaint. Mr C had raised two unsuccessful court actions – both …
SPSO (Scottish Public Se…
Scottish Government and Devolved Administration
Partly Upheld
Jun 2015
22-006-438 — London Borough of Camden
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint about the Council preventing him from buying his council property. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr X to go to court.
LGO (Local Government & …
Housing
Sep 2022
24-009-564 — London Borough of Harrow
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about Council tax and rent because there is a right of appeal to a tribunal and the rent matter is for the Housing Ombudsman.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Sep 2024
24-019-825 — London Borough of Hackney
Summary: We will not investigate Ms X’s complaint about council tax liability. If Ms X disputes her liability for the debt, there is a right of appeal to a tribunal which it is reasonable for her to use. If Ms X is dissatisfied with the Council’s response to her information …
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Apr 2025
22-012-347 — London Borough of Hounslow
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of the complainant’s council tax account. This is because it is reasonable to expect the complainant to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Dec 2022
22-012-097 — Gedling Borough Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about the Council’s handling of the complainant’s council tax account. This is because it is reasonable to expect the complainant to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Dec 2022
22-011-844 — Rochford District Council
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax liability. This is because it is reasonable to expect Mr Y to use his right to go to the Valuation Tribunal.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Dec 2022
22-011-059 — London Borough of Harrow
Summary: We will not investigate this complaint about council tax liability. This is because the complainant has a right to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal and it is reasonable to expect her to use that right.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Dec 2022
25-001-293 — London Borough of Hillingdon
Summary: We will not investigate Mrs X’s complaint about the Council refusing her application for council tax reduction. This is because Mrs X could reasonably have used her right to appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.
LGO (Local Government & …
Benefits And Tax
Jun 2025
25-005-192 — London Borough of Hounslow
Summary: We will not investigate Mr X’s complaint that the Council should reimburse his legal fees. This is because the courts are better placed to consider this matter.
LGO (Local Government & …
Other Categories
Jul 2025
Domestic Homicide Reviews(7)
Bedford — recommendation 5
CBC Children Services to ensure that the ‘get help’ section of the BDAP website is reviewed to make it more easily navigable.
Central Bedfordshire Council Children Services
Central Bedfordshire Council
Liverpool — recommendation 7
That all agencies should provide Liverpool City Council Safer & Stronger Communities Team with evidence and assurances that any contact, whether verbal or written, with individuals whose first language is not English, is undertaken in a format in which they can understand.
All agencies
Leicester — recommendation 5
The obtaining of an immediate independent, properly appointed, interpreter, should be reviewed by the local judiciary.
Her Majesty’s Court & Tribunal Service
South Cambridgeshire — recommendation 11
All agencies to review there on line applications forms to make sure that they are in an easy to read format and/or that there is a reference for adults with additional needs, i.e. dyslexia, signposting them to where they can gain the additional support required to complete the relevant forms.
All agencies
Hammersmith and Fulham — recommendation 7
Examine the currently available material to ensure that there is not undue reliance on internet-based advice to ensure adequate advice is available to those who lack access to internet services.
Hammersmith and Fulham Community Safety Unit …
Newcastle-Under-Lyme — recommendation 3
Agencies in contact with families arriving in the area should ensure that they are informed of supportive services in their area relevant to their circumstances and assisted to access them.
Agencies in contact with families
New Forest — recommendation 3
Children’s Social Care to ensure that their website pages provide information about support services for those dealing with the aftermath of allegations of abuse.
Children’s Social Care
CJINI inspection reports(2)
An Inspection of the Use of Legal Services by the Criminal Justice System
Prosecution and the Courts, Legal Aid and Services
Jun 2011
Criminal Legal Aid Processing: The effectiveness of the Legal Aid Management System in supporting the achievement of strategic business objectives and improved service delivery
Prosecution and the Courts, Legal Aid and Services
Jun 2022