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 Press Release

At a Hearing of the Commissioner for NI Local Government Ethical Standards, held in Coleraine on 5 June 2017, the Acting Commissioner, Ian Gordon, concluded that Councillor Sean McGlinchey, a member of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, had breached the Councillors’ Code of Conduct and imposed a sanction of censure.

At a reconvened Adjudication Hearing held on behalf of the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards in Coleraine today (Thursday 24th November 2016) the Acting Commissioner Mr Ian A Gordon OBE, having previously concluded that Causeway, Coast and Glens Borough Councillor Padraig McShane had breached the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, imposed a sanction on him of full suspension from Council activities for a period of three months. 

PRESS RELEASE

Tuesday 15th November 2016

COUNCILLOR FOUND TO HAVE BREACHED THE COUNCILLOR’S CODE OF CONDUCT

The Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards, Mrs Marie Anderson, her Deputy Commissioner, Mr Paul McFadden and members from the Local Government Ethical Standards Directorate attended the Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA) Event for Elected Members and the Planning Committee at Craigavon Civic Centre on Tuesday 25 October 2016. 

Due to the adverse weather conditions our office will be closed to visitors on Friday 24 January.

Our telephone lines and online complaints form will be operating as normal.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

We recently held a roundtable event as part of our research project examining how ombudspersons can help improve access to justice for refugees and asylum seekers. 

These groups are among the most vulnerable groups in society and face multiple barriers in accessing public services and raising complaints. 

At the event Ombudsman Margaret Kelly provided an overview of NIPSO's engagement with civil society organisations and asylum seekers as we seek to make our service accessible to all.

Research lead Prof. Chris Gill from the University of Glasgow also provided an overview of the findings of a survey of members of the International Ombudsman Institute. 

Presentations were also given from Ombudsman colleagues from Serbia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Denmark and Ireland. 

The project will conclude with a conference to be held in Belfast in March 2025. Please contact nipso@nipso.org.uk if you require further details.

You can find out more information about the project at: https://oprasproject.wordpress.com/. 

Our latest Quarterly Bulletin highlights:

- five recent investigation reports into complaints about health trusts and housing associations

- the latest on our complaints standards work

- details of an upcoming conference

- news of job opportunities at NIPSO

The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman is proposing to investigate the actions of the region’s largest social housing landlord, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.

The investigation into social housing conditions would be the third to take place under the Ombudsman’s ‘own initiative’ power, which allows for an investigation to take place where she has a reasonable suspicion of systemic maladministration.

Ombudsman Margaret Kelly has written to the Housing Executive to propose her investigation after noting an increasing number of enquiries and complaints about housing to her Office. A significant proportion relate to concerns about maintenance and repairs, including reported delays in carrying out repair requests, the quality of the work undertaken and how the concerns of social housing tenants are responded to when issues are raised, including how complaints are handled.

The proposed investigation will also consider how the Housing Executive delivers adaptations to its homes to meet the needs of individuals with vulnerabilities, and what actions it takes to ensure the conditions of properties used for temporary accommodation are appropriate. In deciding to take this action, the Ombudsman also reflected on the extent to which individuals reaching out to her Office have referred to housing issues having an adverse impact on their health.

Ms Kelly said:
‘Access to high quality and safe housing is important in reducing health inequalities and improving the overall wellbeing of our population. A good maintenance and repairs service is one of the most important responsibilities landlords have. It is important there is confidence in how the Housing Executive delivers this service and responds when concerns are raised about housing conditions.’

Ms Kelly stated her proposed investigation would allow for a thorough examination of these important issues, with the aim of making further improvements in social housing provision.

The Ombudsman, having sent her investigation proposal to the Housing Executive, will consider carefully any response before deciding whether to proceed to investigate and finalise the issues that fall within the scope of her investigation. The Ombudsman will make a further announcement upon launching an investigation.

We've released a set of videos to help staff in public bodies deal with complaints.

Topics include an explanation of the principles of good complaints handling, how to investigate complaints, and how to make and communicate good decisions. The videos explain why it's important to listen carefully to complainants, and show how learning from complaints can help improve public services.

They are available here.