A total of 86 complaints and enquiries about Isle of Wight Council were received by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman during 2025-26, as new figures reveal a record rise in complaints against councils across England.
The newly published annual review shows the Ombudsman received 27,625 complaints nationally during the year – a 33% increase on the previous 12 months and the sharpest annual rise in more than a decade.
Of the 86 complaints and enquiries relating to the Isle of Wight Council, the largest category was Education and Children’s Services, which accounted for 32 cases.
Planning and Development generated 13 complaints, while Benefits and Tax accounted for 10. There were also 8 complaints relating to Corporate and Other Services, 8 concerning Housing, 7 involving Adult Social Care, 6 about Environmental Services, Public Protection and Regulation, 2 relating to Highways and Transport, and none recorded in the ‘Other’ category.
Separate Ombudsman data shows that 41 complaints about Isle of Wight Council were decided during the reporting period. Of those, 11 were upheld, giving the authority an uphold rate of 39%, compared to an average of around 63% for similar authorities.
The data also shows the council recorded 8 compliance outcomes during the year, with the Ombudsman satisfied that it successfully implemented its recommendations in every case – a compliance rate of 100%.
In addition, 2 representatives from Isle of Wight Council attended 6 places on the Ombudsman’s Effective Complaint Handling training courses during 2025-26.
Across the South East, the Ombudsman received 4,027 complaints and enquiries – equivalent to 41.8 per 100,000 residents. The region accounted for 15% of all complaints nationally, second only to London.
Children and Education complaints made up 36% of all complaints in the South East, significantly above the national regional average of 29%, while the overall uphold rate for the region stood at 86%.
Amerdeep Clarke, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, has said:
“Behind every complaint we receive is a person who felt they had nowhere else to turn: a parent trying to get the right support for their child at school, an older person struggling to access the care they need, or a family facing the very real prospect of homelessness.
“The sheer number of people coming to us this year tells us something important: increasingly residents feel they are not getting the help they are entitled to from their local council.
“Councils are under real pressure, and we recognise that. But everyone deserves to have their complaint heard fairly and the best councils use that learning to make a difference for residents.
“When we do investigate and find real problems, we ask councils to make practical improvements to their services, so that other people don’t face the same issues in future and it is encouraging that councils overwhelmingly do carry out those improvements.”
