I contacted the Government ombudsman and put a complaint in against Tameside when they failed to spot another defective manhole cover which had been there for a number of years. It was like complaining to "punch about judy" The outcome was Tameside told the ombudsman there was nothing wrong with their road inspections and this was good enough for the government ombudsman. It is ridiculous there should be an independent watchdog, who else can I complain to the Government! Callum's Mum.

   Incompetence?? The council?? Surely not!

   Perhaps Ms Seex will tell the public how she recorded this matter . Will it be recorded as a Local settlement even though the complainant refused the offer.

   It will continue to be very difficult to hold local authorities to account whilst the current Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) institution remains in place. All three Ombudsmen for England are ex-local authority CEOs, and they only find maladministration in less than 2% of complaints within jurisdiction. Many people have been seriously short-changed by the LGO, and many do not realise that, when they submit a complaint to the ombudsman, the outcome will be determined by a former council boss. There is a growing campaign to abolish the LGO and replace it with a truly independent watchdog: more information at www.ombudsmanwatch.org .