COMPLAINTS dealt with by the Local Government Ombudsman against Bury Council increased during the past year, new figures show.

But no evidence of maladministration was found in any of the cases.

Statistics for the year ending March 31 show that the level of complaints involving the local authority, and dealt with by the Ombudsman, totalled 36, an increase of four on the previous year.

Nationally, the three Local Government Ombudsmen for England received 19,179 new complaints. The Ombudsmen achieved or recommended remedies in a third of all decided cases.

A breakdown of figures relating to the complaints made against Bury Council show that 10 of the 36 complaints were settled locally and seven dealt with at the Ombudsman's discretion. A further four cases were deemed to fall outside the Local Government Ombudsman.

The remaining 15 showed no evidence of maladministration and there were no cases of maladministration causing injustice.

The Local Government Ombudsman covering Bury and the north is Mrs Patricia Thomas.

She says that during the year, she received 6,588 complaints against local authorities in her own area, more than ever before.

Writing in her annual report, Mrs Thomas explained: "Much of the increase in the number of complaints which I have received can be attributed to the large rise in the complaints about housing benefit.

"In the last year, I received 968 housing benefit complaints, an increase of 144 per cent over the previous year."