AN objection by West Devon Borough Council to the way district councils are assessed by government received unanimous backing at the Local Government Association?s annual meeting in London.
Cllr Noel Cartwright, who represents the Courtenay Ward, successfully proposed a motion to the conference seeking a fairer national assessment for district councils.
His proposal was supported unanimously by representatives of all district, county and unitary authorities across the country.
Under the current system, councils are judged against a common national standard. Cllr Cartwright believes this form of assessment is unfair for district councils as they are so vastly different.
He said applying a common standard to compare one district with another was ?meaningless?.
He said: ?For example, to draw a comparison of the way a district manages its open green space, judging would be made between a rural district like West Devon and a city district like Exeter.
?It?s chalk and cheese and meaningless.
?Other councils from across the country agreed with me and we now hope the Government will find a way to judge us based upon our own individual targets and the services we actually provide to our residents.?
Assessment at district level will be carried out county by county, with Devon among the first. The results will be announced early in the year.
Authorities will be rated in five categories: poor, weak, fair, good and excellent.
West Devon?s chief executive, David Incoll, said: ?We?ve no objection to the concept of assessment, but the way it?s done at the moment needs addressing.
?It makes sense for county councils and unitary authorities to be judged according to national standards because they provide services like education and highway maintenance.
?It is completely different at district level. How can you compare the open space management between an area which encompasses Dartmoor and, say, somewhere in East Devon where the land is more arable??