Conservative-run Essex County Council has failed to regain its 4 star status signifying an 'excellent' council, a report from the government's independent inspectors has revealed. The Corporate Performance Assessment (CPA) carried out for all local authorities, has judged that the council has only performed at a 3 star level.

Speaking about the CPA, Cllr Tom Smith-Hughes leader of the council's Liberal Democrats, said: "This is very disappointing news for the residents of Essex. The county council had gained a 4 star rating, but only managed to hold on to it briefly before it was downgraded to a 3 star council because of a poor report on children's services at the end of 2007.

"Since then, the Conservative leadership has spent significant amounts of taxpayers' money and thousands of hours of council officers' time, in pursuit of regaining 4 stars. However, at the same time, it was neglecting basic public services and has recently seen aspects of its children service actually go backwards, particularly the crucial and sensitive area of safeguarding vulnerable children, moving from only 'adequate' to a damning 'inadequate', according to Ofsted. This ruled out any chance of regaining the 4 star rating.

"Despite the administration's hype and so-called top priority of 'putting the customer first', the inspectors also found that the council's lack of engagement with the public regarding its performance, means that local residents and taxpayers have no idea what quality and level of service to expect. In addition, the council has no overall system of dealing with residents' complaints, no public reporting on issues raised by residents and the action taken to address them.

"At this February's budget meeting, my group recommended a cut in the council's publicity budget with the money going into frontline services instead. This was rejected by the Conservatives, which shows only too acutely exactly where their priorities lie - spin and self-promotion is king. Unfortunately, it is the increasingly cash-strapped public that is the big loser."