Thurrock Council has been told to "significantly improve" its services to the public, a survey has revealed.
In the first all-England examination of unitary authorities by the Audit Commission released today, inspectors concluded that the council provides "reasonable services overall".
However, they sounded a note of caution when they added that the council "needs to deliver significant improvements to ensure local people benefit from more consistent and reliable delivery".
Of neighbouring councils, Southend also came in as "fair", but Essex was classed as "good".
In the Comprehensive Performance Analysis, inspectors picked out Thurrock's benefits' service for particular praise as well as its "clearly stated ambitions which are influenced by consultation with residents" and its efforts to "enhance community involvement".
David White, the council's managing director, said: "There are many areas where we perform well. "However, we now need to concentrate on working to make Thurrock one of the top performing councils."
Published Thursday, December 12, 2002
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