Barnet Council has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman over delays in responding to its enquiries.

The ombudsman, an independent body that looks into complaints against councils, warned of an “apparent deterioration” in the timeliness of Barnet’s responses to its investigation enquiries during the past year.

The ombudsman upheld 21 complaints against Barnet Council in the year to 31st March. The proportion upheld, 70%, was almost identical to the average for similar authorities, and the council implemented its recommendations in all cases.

However, in an annual review letter sent to the council on 20th July, ombudsman Michael King complained that his organisation had received late responses to enquiries in almost half of the cases it investigated.

He said it was “unacceptable” that in two cases during the past year the council had to be reminded of the ombudsman’s power to issue a witness summons before responses were received.

In one case, he added, his organisation did not receive confirmation that the council had accepted its draft decision “until nearly two months after the deadline and only after several reminders from the investigator”.

Michael wrote: “Delays such as these result in further avoidable distress to complainants, and I ask the council to reflect on its practices and take the necessary steps to improve its liaison with my office.”

The ombudsman said he believed council complaint functions had been “under-resourced in recent years”, which had been “exacerbated” by the Covid-19 pandemic. He added: “Through the lens of this recent upheaval and adjustment, I urge you to consider how your organisation prioritises complaints, particularly in terms of capacity and visibility.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the report from the Local Government Ombudsman and will be reviewing the issues that have been outlined. It is important to note that the performance is measured across a period in which the council was still responding to the changing demands of Covid-19 on our residents, organisation and partners.

“However, once we have a thorough understanding of these we will be able to put forward recommendations to ensure concerns are appropriately dealt with in a timely manner.”