The most common complaint made to Newham Council by residents was about housing.

Of the 119 grievances lodged with Newham Town Hall in the 12 months before March, 44 were problems regarding homelessness, housing allocations, repairs and complaints from leaseholders.

The information comes in an annual review by the Local Government Ombudsman, which judges how well councils in London deal with complaints.

Complaints about highways – many were drivers contesting parking fines – came next on the list, followed by problems with education and children’s services.

In total, the authority had to pay �52,418 in compensation to Newham residents, compared with just �3,500 in Tower Hamlets and �15,000 in Hackney.

The average time it took the council to respond was 23.3 days, well under the 28-day target.

A council spokesman said: “We continually strive to improve our services and feedback from residents and businesses plays a crucial role in identifying and working to address our failures as well as our successes. We take complaints very seriously.”