City of York Council received dozens of complaints to the ombudsman about its actions last year, new figures show.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) is responsible for investigating complaints in local public services, and if they find the council has acted unfairly, they offer recommendations on how to improve.

According to figures from the body, there were 71 complaints made about the City of York Council in the year to March – up from 38 the year before.

After investigation, the ombudsman found the council to have acted unjustly on 19 occasions last year.

However, a spokesperson for the organisation has praised councils for the work they do while managing the cost of living crisis.

The most common reason for coming to the ombudsman in York was for issues related to highways and transport, with 16 complaints, while adult social care received 10.

Bryn Roberts, the council's director of governance and monitoring officer, said: "We acknowledge the report, findings and comments from the LGSCO and thank them for their constructive feedback which highlights some good practice, as well as areas we are working on to improve.

"Whilst there has been an increase in the number of complaints raised for City Of York Council to the LGSCO, this is reflected in the increase nationally for the number of complaints they receive.  

"This increase may also in part be due to the LGSCO stopping accepting new complaints for three months due to Covid-19 in year 2020 to 2021.

"In the coming months the annual complaints report will be taken to Corporate and Customer Scrutiny Management Committee,  which will include an update on the work taking place to continue to learn from complaints and improve our services.

"We will continue to work closely with the Ombudsman to ensure we are as effective as possible as we strive to further improve our service."

Across England, councils found to have acted unjustly increased by 27 per cent on the year before, while the number of complaints overall rose by 25 per cent.

The most common complaint was regarding education and children’s services, while planning and development, adult social care, and housing were also common reasons for people to turn to the ombudsman.

Peter Fleming, chairman of the organisation's improvement and innovation board, said: "Councils continue to deliver the crucial services that communities rely on, while also managing the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and the challenges it brings to their areas.

"It is positive that in 99.7 per cent of councils are implementing recommendations made, showing that local authorities are determined to make sure these issues do not occur again."