Haringey is England’s ‘most rotten’ borough
New data from the Local Government Ombudsman has shown Haringey Council topping the charts for most complaints upheld per head of population: leading to the council being dubbed England’s ‘most rotten’ borough.
What’s more, Haringey has taken this unwanted position for the second year in a row, with a rapidly declining performance: from 13.8 to 20.2 complaints upheld per 100,000 people.
- Haringey tops the list for complaints upheld per head of population for the second consecutive year, with 20.2 per 100,000 residents, and for complaints received by the Ombudsman per head of population, with 110 complaints per 100,000 residents.
- Haringey’s performance in upheld complaints has declined by 46% year on year.
- By category, Haringey had the most complaints per head of the population on Adult Social Care, second most for Highways & Transport, and fourth most in both Housing and Corporate Services.
- 264 complaints against Haringey made their way to the Ombudsman - two complaints every three days.
- More than 3% of all complaints about council housing nationally were in Haringey, despite Haringey’s relatively small population.
- 87% of complaints investigated by the Ombudsman in Haringey were upheld, compared with 84% across London.
These statistics follow numerous damning reports received in individual areas over the past year (Adult Social Care services rated as ‘requires improvement’, most complained about council for damp and mould, lowest tenant satisfaction in London), and the announcement that Haringey was forced to apply for a government bailout for both 2024/25 and 2025/26, with a budget shortfall of £40-70 million forecast next financial year.
Following the report, Cllr Luke Cawley-Harrison (LD-Crouch End), Leader of the Opposition in Haringey, said:
“This report is yet another embarrassment to Labour-run Haringey. Despite topping the complaints charts last year, Labour’s stewardship of our borough continues to let down residents again and again, with performance levels actually declining, not improving.
“Labour have received warning after warning about their poor performance but have failed to act, seemingly incapable of reaching anywhere close to the level of service our residents deserve. It is clear that Haringey urgently needs change, and the Lib Dems will keep fighting for the honest, responsive local government people across our borough expect.”
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