TEST Valley residents are already getting a good service from their Borough Council and plans are in place for things to improve still further, according to an independent Audit Commission report issued yesterday.

The report was prepared as part of the national assessment programme for local government rating councils excellent, good, fair weak or poor. Test Valley Borough Council was rated good. The assessment looks at how all councils provide public services, and especially how they help to meet local housing needs and keep public spaces green and clean.

Commenting on the report, leader of the council, Cllr Ian Carr, said: "The council aims to deliver the best possible standards of public service and good value. People don't want to hear the council blowing its own trumpet, but here is an example of an independent body saying that the council is not only doing the right things, but that it is also doing them well and is set to improve.

Cllr Carr continued: "All initiatives to help improve services are welcome. In this case, our positive results mean that can look forward to even more scope to improve in the future, with less central government control over how we manage our finances and the delivery of some of our services."

Council chief executive, Roger Tetstall, said: "The report rightly praises the commitment and professionalism of the staff and their positive attitude to their work. We do, of course, have some areas where we can improve and we will be tackling these with the same enthusiasm."

In their report, the Audit Commission Inspectors say: "Test Valley Borough Council is a good council and will improve.

"It delivers some high quality services in key areas and customers are satisfied with the work of the council. The council is aware of its areas of weakness and has robust plans in place to address these."

The inspectors continue to say: "The council has effective mechanisms in place to ensure that it remains focused on its objectives and delivers projects on time and has six key corporate objectives which support its ambitions.

The council is making significant improvements in priority areas such as reducing crime and improving the waste collection service and has a good understanding of local housing needs."

Some areas for further development were highlighted, including the need to have a clear vision for the area with clear, realistic and measurable targets for the council's actions and its financial capacity to deliver them.

Performance management is an area for development. However, the inspectors recognised that the council uses some sophisticated performance management tools and is improving monitoring and management of performance.