Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Housing Ombudsman.

The Housing Ombudsman is an independent, impartial, and free service for social housing residents. My Department monitors it against its strategic objectives and agreed performance measures.

Demand for the Housing Ombudsman’s services has increased by 500% from 2021. Since March 2026, the Ombudsman has increased determination output to an average of more than 1,000 cases a month.

The Ombudsman’s 2026–27 Business Plan sets out a caseload reduction strategy focused on increasing staffing, improving processes and systems, and managing demand by supporting better complaint handling by landlords.