NIPSO Report Reveals 217 Complaints Against NI Councils in Two Years

In a recent disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) provided a comprehensive overview of the complaints lodged against various councils in Northern Ireland.

The report, covering the period from 1 April 2022 to 13 June 2024, sheds light on the nature and outcome of these complaints.

Complaints Overview

From April 2022 to June 2024, NIPSO received 217 complaints regarding various councils across Northern Ireland. The distribution of complaints is as follows:

Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough Council: 16
Ards & North Down Borough Council: 30
Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council: 22
Belfast City Council: 33
Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council: 22
Derry City & Strabane District Council: 13
Fermanagh & Omagh District Council: 8
Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council: 24
Mid & East Antrim Borough Council: 11
Mid Ulster District Council: 12
Newry, Mourne & Down District Council: 22

Only two of these complaints were upheld either fully or in part: one against Belfast City Council and one against Mid & East Antrim Borough Council.

Investigative Outcomes

The Ombudsman's investigative process can result in several outcomes. Cases can be:

Fully or partially upheld
Resolved through settlement agreements
Discontinued
Not upheld

To date, some cases remain open and under various stages of investigation:

Assessment: 4 cases
Investigation: 12 cases
Further Investigation: 10 cases

In addition to complaints received post-April 2022, NIPSO concluded several cases initiated before this date.

Five such cases were upheld involving the following councils:

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council: 1
Belfast City Council: 1
Causeway Coast & Glens Borough Council: 2
Mid & East Antrim Borough Council: 1