THE public can see how efficiently services by West Devon Borough Council are being carried out with the unveiling of its Government-set Performance Indicators.
The figures, which are produced annually, have been independently audited on behalf of local government watchdog the Audit Commission and will ultimately be used to compare performance with the Local Authorities.
In most areas the local authority has maintained high performance levels in the borough.
Good performances came in several areas. These include:
l 13.6 per cent of all household waste being recycled — higher than the national average.
l Level of staff sickness below Government-set targets.
l Success in low levels of refuse per head of population.
l High rates of Council Tax and Business Rates collection at more than 98 per cent leading to lower bills.
Added to this West Devon's Waste Management Service was awarded a two-star rating by the Government's Best Value Inspection Service in February — an accolade few local authorities achieve.
The council's services were also put under the spotlight earlier this year when a survey was sent out to a cross section of West Devon residents.
More than 60 per cent of those who responded were satisfied with the way the council was run.
Other surveys revealed high levels of satisfaction with refuse collection, recycling, planning and housing benefit administration.
West Devon Borough Council's Best Value officer Dan Bates said that although the results were good, the authority was not being complacent.
'Performance will continue to be monitored and reported closely throughout. We are always looking at ways of improving the services we provide,' he said.
Cllr Peter Hill, chairman of West Devon Borough Council's policy and resources committee, said: 'There are areas of service where we are good and some areas where there needs to be improvement. But overall the Authority does very well and all credit is due to our hard working staff.'
A full listing of the indicators is available on West Devon Borough Council's website at http://www.westdevon.gov.uk">www.westdevon.gov.uk