Local Government Ombudsmanship

Abstract

The increasing duties and responsibilities of states are one of the most important problem areas of recent times. As a matter of fact, an effective and efficient service is not possible in the face of increasing responsibilities. In order to solve this problem, states have chosen to share authority and duties with local governments. This situation has increased the importance of local governments day by day. The audit of local governments, whose importance and function has increased, has created a separate problem. The inadequacies of the existing control methods have brought about the search for alternative methods.

The Ombudsman institution emerged as a result of such a search. As a contemporary practice, different types of ombudsman institution have emerged in parallel with its success since its establishment. The most popular of these is the local government ombudsman. The local government ombudsman, whose mandate is limited only to local governments, plays an important role in resolving local complaints. In this respect, the establishment of a local government ombudsman, which deals only with complaints against local governments, besides the classical ombudsman institution, is important in terms of both taking the right decisions regarding the complaints and establishing an effective and efficient inspection system.