THE number of complaints upheld against each North-East council has been revealed - with Darlington Borough Council topping the list. 

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has issued its annual complaints figures for all councils in England.

The figures show how councils have failed to provide a satisfactory resolution in response to a complaint lodged by an individual or business.

The figures reflect how many times a complaint has been referred to the ombudsman for further investigation.

It includes complaints made about adult, social care, benefits and tax, education, children's services, environmental, planning, highways and housing.

They figures also include complaints where the council accepted fault before they were investigated.

The Northern Echo has analysed this data and identified the best and worst councils across County Durham, Teesside and North Yorkshire for dealing with complaints.

Here's how each council compared - for the year 2019/2020

Complaints registered between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020.

1. Darlington Borough Council (86 percent of complaints upheld against council)

- 6 out of 7 complaints were upheld.

2. North Yorkshire County Council (67 percent of complaints upheld against council)

- 18 out of 27 complaints were upheld.

3. Stockton Borough Council (60 percent of complaints upheld against council)

- 6 out of 10 complaints were upheld.

4. Durham County Council (58 percent of complaints upheld against council)

- 21 out of 36 complaints were upheld.

5. Middlesbrough Council (57 percent of complaints upheld against council)

-  4 out of 7 complaints were upheld.

6. Hartlepool Borough Council (33 percent of complaints were upheld against council)

- 3 out of 9 complaints were upheld.

7. Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (25 percent of complaints upheld against council)

- 1 out of 4 complaints were upheld.

Hambleton District Council and Richmondshire District Council saw no complaints upheld against them over the same reporting period.

In response to Darlington Borough Council seeing the highest rate in complaints held against them, a spokesperson for the council said: “We welcome complaints as a way of resolving genuine issues raised and use learning from complaints to improve the services we provide. 

“We have accessible, well publicised complaints procedures and, of the complaints we receive each year, a small number are referred to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. 

"Of the six complaints upheld, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman were satisfied with the actions we had already taken in one case; in the five other cases we implemented their recommendations in full. 

“Ombudsman decisions are regularly reported to Cabinet so Members are aware of any emerging trends and areas for improvement.”

What the Ombudsman has said

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said: “While we are seeing more and more complex cases beset by systemic problems, we are also increasingly working with councils to identify the root of those problems and making recommendations to improve the underlying policies and procedures causing them.

“These service improvements highlight the power one single complaint can have – when dealt with properly – to prevent problems reoccurring and improve services for others.

“The cases highlighted in my report reflect the reality of local authority life prior to the Covid-19 crisis, but I believe it is all the more important now to deal with complaints properly and to harness this free public feedback.

“Councils’ readiness on the whole to work with us to implement our practical recommendations to improve the services they provide demonstrates the sector has a mature attitude to complaint handling - one which we have advocated throughout our work”