THE stereotype of the stoical Englishman who never quibbles or quails in adversity is over. We are now a nation of complainers. When the Commission for Local Administration, better known as the Local Government Ombudsman, was created 30 years ago just a few souls wrote in to say that not everything was tip-top with the way their councils were performing. Last year 19,000 complained.
Some might say that this is bad news for councils, but Tony Redmond, the chairman and chief executive of the commission, says it shows that people are more aware of the ombudsman’s existence and trust its independence. So if you have a problem, and no one else can help, maybe you can hire the O Team.
Redmond is one of three