THE Ombudsman received 449 complaints about public services from County Cork residents last year, new figures show, writes Martin Steinmetz.
A total of 5,297 complaints nationwide were made to the Ombudsman in 2025, an 11% increase on the previous year and the highest figure in more than 30 years.
In Cork, 200 complaints were made about Cork City Council and 80 about Cork County Council. There were also 12 complaints about CUH, and five relating to UCC. Ombudsman Ger Deering said 2025 continued a ‘significant and steady increase’ in complaints to his office.
ADVERTISEMENT
He added: ‘The Local Authority Complaints Policy is being rolled out by local authorities during 2026. I am hopeful that its implementation will improve service delivery and complaint handling by local authorities, and so benefit everyone using their services.’
In 2025, the Ombudsman also published recommendations following an investigation into the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme. While some progress has been made, he said he will continue to engage with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to drive further change.
Complaints covered areas including social welfare allowances, housing applications, hospital services, private nursing home care and public third-level education. The Ombudsman’s Annual Report 2025 is available at www.ombudsman.ie.
