Revealed: Huge variations in Sandwell councillor caseloads

The results, released through a Freedom of Information request, have revealed huge variations among councillors in Sandwell.

Queries logged by some representatives have reached as high 347 in a year but others have flagged up just one or two concerns to the local authority across an entire 12 months.

Councillor Elaine Costigan, who represents Wednesbury North, was among those who raised the highest number of concerns between May 2015 and April 2016.

Having logged 331 public queries with Sandwell Council, Councillor Costigan had the second highest amount of casework.

She came second behind cabinet member for children's services and Friar Park, councillor Simon Hackett, who put forward 347.

Councillor Costigan said: "I gave up my job so that I could be a councillor full time. I do take it very seriously.

"I get at least 12 queries a day from residents. I also hold my surgeries at Wednesbury Town Hall.

"I think it can be difficult for people to know who to go to for advice but I do get involved with the community and I think I am approachable."

At the other end of the scale, Councillor Mohinder Singh Tagger, who represents West Bromwich Central, only raised one concern in a year.

He was contacted by the Express & Star but made no comment on the FOI's findings.

Putting forward just two enquiries, Councillor Babu Singh Bawa, of the St Paul's ward, also did not provide a comment to the Express & Star when contacted, while no response was received from Councillor Tony Meehan, of the Wednesbury North ward, who also raised just two issues.

The statistics refer to all logged pieces of casework raised by each councillor with the authority in 2015/16.

It includes all queries officially logged by each councillor, whether on behalf of a resident or where the councillor has raised the query on his or her own account.