The number of complaints received by Ceredigion County Council about services has almost doubled in just two years, latest data has shown, but the authority has claimed in a report that the “significant increase” is “a positive reflection of the work being done to ensure all complaints are recorded.”

A fresh report put before members of the Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 12 March outlined the latest complaint figures received by the council between April and September last year.

Data shows the council received 116 complaints during the half year, up from 91 in the half year up to April 2023.

The figure is almost double the 62 complaints received over the same April to September period in 2022.

The report said the council two complaints specifically relating to the lack of provision of Welsh Language services across the council.

Most complaints were made to the economy and regeneration department as well as to highways.

Six complaints covered multiple services.

A smaller proportion of the complaints received during the period were upheld by the council during the first half of 2023/24 - 44 per cent compared with 54 per cent of all complaints received in 2022/23.

19 of the cases were escalated to the Public Ombudsman for Wales, with nine of those complaining over how their initial complaint was handled.

None of the cases required an investigation by the Ombudsman, the report added.

The report said: “The number of complaints received during this reporting period (116) is a significant increase compared to the number received in both the first and second half of 2022/23 (64 and 81 respectively).

“This is a positive reflection of the work being done to ensure all complaints are recorded, as there were concerns that the high level of Ombudsman referrals could be indicative of missed opportunities to investigate and resolve some concerns as complaints.

“The number of complaints referred to the Ombudsman has increased slightly compared to the number referred within the first half of 2022/23.

“A smaller proportion of complaints were upheld during the first half of 2023/24.”