RECENT figures released by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman show that Thurrock is one of the most complained-about councils in the country.

The Ombudsman's review of local government complaints reveals a sharp rise in its national caseload, with 27,625 complaints received in 2025-26, a 33 per cent increase on the previous year and the sharpest rise in more than a decade.

And Thurrock is among authorities flagged up as having more complaints than the national average. It sits in the top 22 per cent of 389 organisations dealt with by the Ombudsman, who does point out the extreme pressures and rising demand faced by local authorities - allied to a lack of sufficient goivernment funding.

Figures show that in the 2025-26 civic year 99 complaints against Thurrock were adjudicated on by the Ombudsman, with 94 per cent upheld. A further 40 were referred back for local resolution.

The highest number of complaints was received about housing (40). Eighteen were received about education and six about adult services. Fifteen were received about benefits and tax and 15 about environmental services, public protection and regulation.

Details of individual decisions and outcomes of complaints against Thurrock can be found via this link – which shows, in many instances, the council having to make payments to the complainants.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Amerdeep Clarke says: "Poor decisions, delayed action and inadequate services are not only harmful to residents, they are also costly.

"The cumulative expense of complaints, legal challenges and emergency interventions far exceeds the cost of investment in effective, well-managed services.

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"Getting it right first time is both the right thing to do and, in the long run, the financially prudent course.

"For local authorities managing significant budget pressures, that is not a secondary consideration."

Ms Clarke did point a finger of blame at national resourcing for councils, saying: "The research confirms that many of the problems driving complaints to us are rooted in national systemic failures: inadequate funding and demand that has consistently outpaced available resource."

She was particularly critical of national support for educational needs, highlighting a chronic shortages of educational psychologists and adding: "Local authority officers interviewed for the research described a SEND system that is, in their own words, "fundamentally broken" and a "national crisis."