NORTH-EAST councils have maintained their position as the best-performing in the country based on the quality of their local services.

The Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment, which is in its second year, revealed that councils had made a slight improvement to their already high standards.

It rates the 150 top-tier local authorities across England as either excellent, good, fair, weak or poor and also on their ability to improve.

They also receive a score from one to four, four being highest, in seven areas.

Seventy-five per cent of North-East councils are now rated good or excellent, well above the national average of 55 per cent.

Stockton Borough Council was the best performer and rose to excellent.

The commission said the council had demonstrated a significant improvement in services over the past year.

Council leader Bob Gibson said: "This is a tremendous result, which puts Stockton among the very best local authorities in the country."

Darlington is again rated as good overall, with inspectors praising improvements to benefits and provision for the environment.

Council leader John Williams said: "Our performance has improved significantly since last year, and a recent survey carried out by a Sunday newspaper that ranked councils on the services they deliver showed us to be the top-performing council in the country.

"While we have to be pleased with a CPA rating of good, which confirms that we are consistently delivering good services, the signs are that we are moving towards excellent, and achieving that rating has to be our target in the coming year."

Durham County Council was among the top ten improvers, although it also remained in the good overall category.

The inspectors cited improvements in education and waste management.

The region's worst-performing council was North Tyneside, which failed to improve last year's rating of poor overall.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council rated fair overall.

Councillor Glyn Nightingale said: "Four years ago, the council was in a terrible state and it had to improve.

"Improvements have accelerated since the May election this year. We are now hopeful that we can achieve an excellent rating in the next two years."

Gateshead, Hartlepool and Sunderland councils all rated in the top category. In North Yorkshire, the county council went from fair to good, and City of York Council remained at good.

Audit Commission chairman James Strachan said: "It is very encouraging that a cluster of first-rate councils is now established in the region."

* Full reports on individual councils are available at www.audit-commission.gov.uk