The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the regulatory body for public services in Scotland, which includes:
- Local Authorities
- the NHS
- housing associations and co-operatives
- universities and colleges
- most water and sewage providers
- prisons
- the Scottish Government and its agencies
The SPSO developed the Scottish Local Authority Model Complaints Handling Procedure that we follow. They look at complaints where members of the public have said they suffered injustice, or hardship, as a result of maladministration or service failure.
They are the last resort, and look at complaints which have already been through the both stages of the Complaints Handling Procedure. If you have a complaint with the Council, we will always signpost you to the SPSO in the final, stage 2 response.
You can visit the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman website for advice. Alternatively, their contact details are:
- In person: Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS
- By post: Freepost SPSO (single-line address)
- Freephone: 0800 377 7330
- SPSO Online Form
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) publish details of the cases they investigate to encourage learning from complaints. You can read about their investigations and decisions by visiting Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Findings.