A SENIOR local councillor has called for the Cowdenbeath Area Committee to look in detail at over 400 complaints raised by people in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area in 2014.

Lochgelly and Cardenden councillor, Mark Hood, said this week, “I want to ensure that these complaints were dealt with correctly and where possible the council has taken steps to address the underlying issues which gave rise to these”.

Mr Hood, who is also a member of Fife Council Executive, said, “If we are to drive improvements in the level of service the council provides in our communities we must understand where residents feel we have failed. In the past there was a culture within the council that if the complaint was resolved there was no need to look further, I want to make sure that as a council we learn from our mistakes and make the changes necessary to ensure we do not make the same mistake over and over again.” He added, “Over 50% of the complaints related to housing and building services departments. The number of complaints related to housing is a concern and certainly something I think the area committee need to have a closer look at. We need to put a greater priority on customer service and if we are getting it wrong we need to hear about it.”