COMPLAINTS against the region’s biggest local authority have nearly trebled over the past three years, The Northern Echo has learnt.

Durham County Council received 3,105 complaints over its services in 2011/12, a near three-fold increase on 2009/10’s figure of 1,088.

In the intervening financial year – 2010/11 – 1,787 complaints were received from the public.

The council said that although the number of complaints increased by 74 per cent last year it was an indication that its customer relationship management system, which is used to simplify the process for the public to make complaints was working well.

However in the most recent report to its standards committee Terry Collins, the council’s corporate director for neighbourhood services, gave several reasons for the increase including

:: The time taken to process benefits

:: Issues relating to handling telephone calls from the public

:: The introduction of alternate weekly refuse collections

:: Disagreements with planning decisions.

Fifty one per cent of all complaints in 2011/12 related to neighbourhood services, which encompasses revenues and benefits.

Labour-run Durham County Council became a unitary authority in April 2009, replacing several smaller district councils in the county which were abolished as a result of local government reforms.

North Durham MP Kevan Jones said: “This is a wake-up call for the county council to ensure that not only do they deliver services well, but they also respond to complaints properly.

“The council is under a lot of pressure financially, but that should be no excuse.”

Last year a total of 37 per cent of complaints received from the public were deemed “not justified” by the council following further investigation.

Twenty nine per cent were justified, while 26 per cent were part justified and eight per cent had yet to be fully dealt with before the financial year end.

Members of the council’s standards committee will receive a report on the 2012/13 complaint figures at the end of next month.

Alan Patrickson, Durham County Council’s head of projects and business services, said: “A great deal of work has been put into making it easier for members of the public to provide feedback, including complaints and suggestions since the council was launched in 2009.

“This includes new webpages, the creation of an online form and specific complaints leaflets available in all council buildings.

“All complaints are fully investigated and used to improve services.

“Making it more simple for people to complain inevitably results in an increase in the number we receive, but no single cause can be highlighted for concern."