Rate highly for unresolved disputes referred to Ombudsman
Ealing Council and Hammersmith and Fulham Council are in the top 20 in the list of local councils most complained about, according to the latest figures.
Birmingham topped the list with 257 complaints to the Local Government Ombudsman, it was followed by Southwark with 198 and Lambeth with 186.
Ealing and Islington shared 14th place with 113 complaints to the Ombudsman.
Overall, half of the 20 local councils which sparked complaints were in London.
Places seven to 11 were all filled by London councils: Haringey (135 complaints), Camden (133), Croydon (121), Hackney (119) and Hammersmith and Fulham (115). Islington and Ealing shared 14th place (113), Newham was three places below (98). The watchdog only takes on complaints if councils' own procedures fail.
Eight out of the 10 London councils are Labour-run although Ealing is currently run by Labour and Hammersmith and Fulham is Conservative. Local Government Minister Bob Neill said: "The bottom line is that you can't trust Labour authorities with the public purse." Labour said a number of the councils were clearing up mess left by Liberal and Tory administrations.
The figures were provided by the Local Government Ombudsman in response to a Parliamentary Question from John Mann MP. They covered the calendar year of 2011.
January 23, 2012