Janine GriffithsResidents across Yorkshire and the Humber were among thousands of people who contacted the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over concerns about local services.
New figures show the Ombudsman received 1,953 complaints and enquiries from the region during 2025-26.
The number represented 7% of all complaints and enquiries received nationally.
Across England, the Ombudsman noted a record 27,625 complaints in 2025-26. This was a 33% increase on the previous year.
The rise included complaints about services including housing, adult social care, special educational needs and children’s services.
In Yorkshire and the Humber, complaints about children and education made up the largest proportion. They accounted for 37% of all complaints and enquiries received.
Adult care services accounted for 16% of complaints and enquiries in the region.
Housing complaints made up 10% of cases, which was below the national regional average of 20%.
The Ombudsman upheld 83% of complaints investigated in the region. This was below the average of 86% across all regions.
Amerdeep Clarke, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, 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.”
She added: “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.”
The Ombudsman said councils were facing significant pressures but stressed the importance of responding properly to complaints.
Amerdeep Clarke said: “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.”
Nationally, 99.9% of councils followed the Ombudsman’s recommendations when problems were identified.
Amerdeep Clarke said: “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.”
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