MORE than 100 complaints have been made to Worcester City Council in six months - with bosses pledging to use them as "learning opportunities".

A new report has revealed how 120 people made formal gripes to the authority between April and September this year.

The number is a slight drop on the 125 recorded during the same timescale of 2014, with the council's cleaner and greener department, housing and planning the top three areas to cause concern.

Issues like parking wardens, bin collections, litter and street sweeping come under the cleaner and greener function, making it the biggest and most important department.

It was the source of 77 complaints, with 19 made over planning issues and 15 for housing-related matters.

The feedback report comes after we revealed how two complaints made it all the way to the independent Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), one of which involved a nearly-blind man who struggled to access social housing and got £250 compensation.

The other one involved the city's forthcoming £20 million Waitrose being built off London Road, with a nearby homeowner disgruntled over not being invited to a planning meeting.

There were also 35 general comments made and 21 compliments about city council services.

Bosses say they have responded in various ways to some complaints including more monitoring of public toilets after concerns they were dirty.

Police officers also now have keys to the toilets in response to the reporting of needles in them.

They also say the decision back in April to open Gheluvelt Park's Splashpad daily instead of just on weekends came about from the feedback.

Councillor Simon Geraghty, the leader, said: "These are important learning opportunities for us, that's the way I see them.

"It's important when we get comments that we look at them in detail and also we must look at any trends.

"I'd also like to thank the people who offer compliments, in my experience people do rarely say if things have gone well, so when they do take the time to tell us it's really good to see.

"I thank them for that and I always tell the staff because that's good for morale."

Speaking during a cabinet meeting, he said each gripe was chance for the authority to act on something.

Councillor Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member for history and heritage, said it was "not surprising" cleaner and greener topped the gripes as it is the "most customer-focused area".