An east London borough is no longer one of the most complained about areas in the capital.

According to the latest 2018/19 figures by Redbridge Council, residents’ complaints have rose by 55 per cent, rising 17 places higher in the overall London league table.

It had, by some margin, fewer complaints than neighbouring boroughs Newham and Barking and Dagenham.

Speaking at an overview committee meeting at Redbridge Town Hall, Councillor Helen Coombe, said the department had been doing a lot of work.

"We were 30th out of all the London boroughs [33] for the number of complaints - it is not a competition we want to be winning.

"This year we are 13th.

"Our aim is to deal with complaints more effectively."

A Redbridge Council officer said the local authority is looking at the "root causes of complaints and looking into underlying issues".

"We are shifting how we are dealing with complaints and trying to deal with them at the first point of call," she told the room at High Road, Ilford on Thursday, September 12.

"At the moment our complaints report is quite vague, we want a more drilled down report so we can go to the department and give them the top five most complained about things, so they can work out why."

Councillor Roy Emmett said the progress from the bottom of the London table to the middle is "cause for optimism".

The majority of the increase in complaints came from the Place and People directorates.

The council plans to continue delivering training and develop sessions with key officers to ensure that complaints are investigated thoroughly.