Most complaints against Gosford

Gosford Council had the highest number of complaints against a local government in the state, according to the NSW Ombudsman 2007-2008 annual report.

The NSW Ombudsman Mr Bruce Barbour received a total of 37 formal complaints last financial year against Gosford council.

That compares to 34 complaints at Sydney City Council and 23 at Wollongong City Council.

A combined total of 788 formal complaints against NSW councils were received by the State Ombudsman in the last financial year.

Complaints received by the Ombudsman that were either outside of Gosford council's jurisdiction or of a trivial nature numbered 19, accounting for 51 per cent of all complaints.

An additional 12 of the cases found no or insufficient evidence of wrong conduct, four were resolved to the Ombudsman's satisfaction and two were resolved by council prior to Ombudsman intervention.

None of the complaints required a formal investigation.

Gosford mayor Cr Chris Holstein said council "takes all complaints very seriously".

"Our city is a large and unique area with approximately 162,388 residents," Cr Holstein said.

"With its widespread network of distinctive towns and with significant development works underway, there will always be instances where residents have objections or complaints. "However, I see this as a sign of a community that is passionate about its city and it demonstrates that individuals take an active interest in council's affairs.

"That said, council takes all complaints very seriously and will be contacting the Ombudsman's office to further evaluate the complaints and identify opportunities for improvement."

Press release, 30 Oct 2008 Chris Holstein, Mayor of Gosford Annual report, 22 Oct 2008 Bruce Barbour, NSW Ombudsman