COUNCILS in our region have been praised by national inspectors.

The Audit Commission has announced its annual ratings, with North Yorkshire County Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council both ranked among the best in the country with the maximum score of four-stars.

Inspectors said both authorities, as well as City of York Council, were "improving well".

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The inspectors highlighted the significant improvement the council has made in priority services such as waste recycling, planning, street cleanliness and housing benefits in their report.

"They also praised the continued high performance of the authority's services for children and young people and adult social care."

Council leader Steve Galloway said: "I am pleased that we are continuing to improve public service standards in the city as confirmed by this independent assessment.

"The Audit Com-mission's conclusion that we are improving well is underpinned by the improving public satisfaction levels revealed by the council's own surveys."

He singled out the housing department for praise.

Auditors identified North Yorkshire as the second best performing county council in England, and the commission found that 65 per cent of priority services had improved in the last year.

East Riding of Yorkshire rose from three stars to four, and the inspectors found evidence of good progress during the past year.

City of York Council is a three-star council, but is currently being reassessed by the commission.