IF YOU have a gripe against the council, now's the time to voice it.

And if you're quick about it, you may win £100 in a prize draw.

From Monday, thousands of householders will be asked for their views on services provided by the council.

Questionnaires from Kwest Business Research will be dropping through letterboxes across the borough as part of a co-ordinated exercise. The questions have been set by the government and the results will be published as part of its 'Best Value' initiative, aimed at improving national standards for local authority services.

Residents who are sent a form will be asked how satisfied they are with a wide range of services, including leisure, housing, education, improving the environment and planning.

And, as an incentive to take part, everyone who returns a questionnaire within 14 days will be entered into a £100 prize draw.

Cllr John O'Neill, Wigan Council's cabinet member for Best Value, said, "All local authorities are required by the government to establish the views of local people about their services, and to publish them as part of a range of facts and figures called performance indicators.

"These reveal how well a council is performing compared to others, and help it to set targets for improvement.

"I hope people who receive a questionnaire will reply, since this is a genuine attempt to improve our services by listening to the views of local residents."

All replies will be treated in confidence.

The survey will be sent to households selected at random from the electoral register.