CTSI HAS ITS SAY Some of the institutes contributions to government policy debate A Public Service Ombudsman Cabinet Office, June 2015 The minister for government policy, Robert Gordon, was commissioned to review whether the current public sector ombudsman is best for citizens, best for parliament and delivers value for money. His subsequent report supported by the government said these three principles should underpin a reformed ombudsman service. CTSI agrees, also seeing public service ombudsman (PSO) as a fitting title for a new organisation; one that citizens should feel is impartial and distinct from government, and that their complaint will be taken seriously. Trading standards services do receive complaints from members of the public about public services, and CTSI believes citizens should benefit from the PSO service. Legislation increasingly steers consumers away from the courts and towards independent ombudsmen; as the above principles reflect, there is no reason why public services should be any different. CTSI would welcome a single PSO covering complex, ever-changing areas. Initially it should embrace the remit and responsibilities of parliament, the health service, local government and housing each retaining specific, sector-facing services and staff with existing expertise, each sector led by a senior ombudsman, or someone of equivalent status. Its important to have the widest possible routes of entry to a PSO. Although many citizens can make complaints through email, online forms or via an app, there are still many who prefer to talk to someone, senda letter, or even visit an organisation. So care should be taken to ensure that everyone including vulnerable citizens without access to a computer can still make complaints against public services. CTSI would support a wider role for PSO as a champion of effective complaints-handling across the public sector, provided that this did not interfere with their impartiality. As they would be gathering information and evidence from companies they regulate, data protection might need to be a consideration. Lead officer: Adrian Simpson For more information, and to contribute to consultations such as these, visit www.tradingstandards.uk Credits Published You might also like Images: Kristo-Gothard Hunor / Monday 3 August, 2015 Consultations July 2015 Shutterstock To share this page, click on in the toolbar