DOZENS of complaints about Herefordshire Council were lodged with a local government watchdog last year, figures show.

The coronavirus pandemic has intensified existing problems, "widened cracks" and contributed to the most difficult time in several years for local authorities nationally, according to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The body looks at complaints about councils and some other authorities, such as adult social care providers and education appeal panels.

Figures from the LGSCO show 50 complaints or enquiries about Herefordshire Council were lodged in the year to March, though the ombudsman was closed to new complaints between March and June 2020.

That was down from 52 the year before.

The highest number of concerns (13) involved planning and development. There were six cases related to adult social care.

Different data shows six cases deemed to warrant a full investigation by the LGSCO were concluded in 2020-21, with three resulting in a complaint being upheld against the council.

The reasons for the complaints were not provided.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said authorities and care providers had been doing all they could to keep "already severely stretched" services going throughout the pandemic.

He added: “It is right that providers continue to work with the ombudsman in its investigations, to make improvements to their services.

"We also need to apply the lessons learnt from our response to Covid-19 in any future reforms."

A Government spokesman said billions of pounds had been provided to local authorities to address pressures on their services throughout the pandemic, including specific adult social care funding.

He added the Government is committed to the delivery of "world-leading social care".