Philip Giddings

Whither the Ombudsman

The British version of the Ombudsman has remained essentially the same since its introduction in 1967. The changes in public administration under the Thatcher-Major governments and the constitutional reforms of the Blair government have provided a climate of change for the public sector Ombudsman services. In the light of international comparisons this article considers what are the distinctive features of the British model and the extent of their inter-linkedness. After an analysis of the recently completed Cabinet Office review and developments in the financial services sector, the article argues that the time is ripe for four radical developments of the Ombudsman system: abolition of the MP filter; a self-starting power; a ‘legislative comment’ role; and the integration of the public sector schemes.

Landlords, tenants and complaints: the Housing Association Tenants Ombudsman

A major problem associated with the considerable changes which have taken place in the structure of public administration and the delivery of public services has been to provide effective accountability mechanisms. One very flexible mechanism is the Ombudsman institution which has been adapted in many different states and to deal with many different services. This paper examines how the Ombudsman institution has been adapted to provide an effective complaints-mechanism for social housing. After outlining how the Ombudsman institution has been used in a variety of ways in the United Kingdom, the paper describes how the Housing Association Tenants Ombudsman Service came to be established. It is focused particularly on the issue of independence, a key feature for effective accountability, and incorporates the Governments proposals in the 1996 Housing Bill to put the Service onto a statutory footing.