A LOCAL authority watchdog has upheld a complaint against Colchester Council.

In total, 16 complaints were made about the council to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman in 2016.

Of those, the watchdog made 13 decisions and only one was upheld.

It centred on the authority being at fault in relation to a complaint over the processing of two housing applications.

The ombudsman did, however, say there had been no injustice caused to the applicants.

The number of complaints about the council was down on last year's 25.

Of the 16, four were referred back to the council for local resolution, five were closed after initial enquiries, advice was issued on one case.