measures put in place by Durham County Council to improve the quality and delivery of services to local people have been recognised as an example of effective excellence in a national report published this week.

The report, from the independent Centre for Public Scrutiny, highlights case studies from eight local authorities to show how the overview and scrutiny function introduced two years ago as part of the Government's drive to modernise local government, is working successfully.

The county council's decision to introduce a special bus service for young people in parts of Easington is held up as "tangible evidence" that the system is producing results.

One of the main jobs of councillors involved in overview and scrutiny is to assess decisions made by cabinet members and, if they think it is appropriate, to ask the cabinet to reconsider those decisions.

But they are also responsible for identifying and examining in depth any issues they feel affect the quality of life of the people they serve.

These may be issues identified by councillors, or as a result of representations made by the public.

Since its creation two years ago, the county council's overview and scrutiny committee has examined a wide variety of issues, including ways of reducing the unnecessary use of plastic carrier bags, school transport and the services that are available to young people with mental health problems.

But it was the committee's work in investigating issues involving the so-called "carrier bag culture" in parts of east Durham - young people with carrier bags of drugs and alcohol - which have won it national recognition.

As a result, the authority made a number of improvements, including the introduction of the local bus service, requested by the young people, to help them gain access to more facilities in the area.