SOUTHAMPTON City Council was the subject of scores of complaints last year, new figures show.

Fifty-five complaints were made to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in the year to March.

The public body investigates wrongdoing in local councils and other public services, responding to complaints.

If it finds that the council has acted unfairly or unjustly, the ombudsman will offer recommendations on how to make things right.

According to figures from the ombudsman, enquiries about Southampton City Council have risen to 55 from 35 the year before.

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

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The most common reason (16 complaints or enquiries) for going to the ombudsman in Southampton was for issues with education and children's services.

The second most common reason was adult social care (nine complaints), followed by housing (eight), environmental services and public protection (seven), and then benefits and tax (six).

Other topics raised were transport and highways, planning and development, and corporate and other services.

Nationally, the number of complaints has increased in the last year, with 15,826 in the year to March compared with 11,830 last year.

Problems with education and children's services were the most common reason to get in touch, with 3,145 complaints and enquiries, while there were more than 2,000 each for planning and development, adult social care, and housing.

Meanwhile, the Local Government Association has praised councils for the work they are doing under difficult circumstances.

Peter Fleming, chairman of the LGA'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 cases, councils are implementing recommendations made, showing that local authorities are determined to make sure these issues do not occur again."

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