Somerset is shortlisted for coveted 'most improved council' award

12.00.00am GMT Sat 5th Jan 2008

2007 has been a great year for Somerset County Council, under a Liberal Democrat administration! The icing on the cake has been the Local Government Chronicle's opinion that we are among the top six authorities in the country deserving of their 'most improved council' award. They say: "Somerset CC has had an outstanding year. The authority was rated as a four-star 'excellent' authority by the Audit Commission in March, 2007. This assessment captured improvement and success across the board for all services...Somerset strives continuously to improve on service delivery. Not content with being a four-star authority, IT SEEKS TO PLACE ITSELF IN A CATEGORY OF ONE."

Since the announcement of the shortlisted councils, Somerset CC has further celebrated retaining its 3 stars for Adult Social Care (for the fourth year running), which certainly 'bucks' the national trend for this cost-intensive service.

We've also heard that Somerset pupils at Key Stage 2 (aged 11), have achieved their best ever results in English and Maths. The latest news also shows that standards in Somerset's primary schools have improved faster than nearby counties. This prompted The Observer (Sunday, Dec 9) to say: "Somerset was seen as particularly strong for education, with excellent primary schools and attainment well above the national average at Key Stage 2."