With the deadline for responding to the draft business plan and budget of the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) now passed, the Law Society of England and Wales and the Council for Licensed Conveyancers have shared their responses to the proposals.
In November, the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) published the draft 2026/27 plan and budget, which marks the final year of its 2024-27 strategy.
The “ambitious” plan was drafted in response to record complaint volumes and set out a “bold agenda for transformation,” the OLC said. Under the plan, the LeO committed to increasing complaint resolution by 50%, and introducing a Scheme Transformation Review to “explore radical options for reform.”
But the Law Society of England and Wales has rejected the LeO’s recommended 12.1% budget increase, saying it must focus on its core statutory function and significantly reduce its backlog of cases before undertaking additional activities.
“LeO is currently failing to meet its own targets for reducing the case backlog, with customer journey times at unacceptable levels,” said Law Society president Mark Evans.
“It is particularly concerning that LeO is proposing to undertake additional work such as a Scheme Transformation Review while struggling to deliver its core statutory function of resolving complaints quickly.
“LeO projects its complaints backlog will be around 3,378 to 3,754 in March 2026, far above the original target of 500–1,000.”
The Law Society also noted that the Scheme Transformation Review included an exploration of broader reform, including changes to its scheme rules that were amended only two years ago.
“The scheme is also considering changes to the case fees despite a recent consultation that took place in August 2025 and proposed an inflation-linked and widely accepted increase from £400 to £600,” the Law Society added.
The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) said it also had “significant reservations” about the LeO’s plan, but that it accepted them “with great reluctance.”
In its response to the ombudsman’s consultation, the CLC said it has “ongoing concerns about operational efficiency and whether… LeO represents value for money.”
However, the CLC accepted that the increase is “necessary to avoid deterioration in service levels and turnaround times for consumers.”
The consultation closed at midnight on 16 December. The LeO and OLC have not yet commented on the feedback.
