A NORTH Yorkshire council is giving residents a better service than many authorities nationally.

Harrogate Borough Council was highly praised by a Government survey into residents' satisfaction with services.

The authority recorded a figure of 59 per cent, compared to the national average of 55 per cent.

Many sections of the council also scored highly in their own individual service categories.

The council's parks and open spaces section scored 90 per cent, as opposed to 73 per cent nationally, making it the joint top scorer nationally.

The planning department also scored highly, with satisfaction levels rising from 52 per cent to 63 per cent.

The benefits service overall satisfaction level rose from 74 per cent to 81 per cent.

Councillor Mike Gardner, council leader, said: "Nationally, over the past few years, satisfaction levels with councils have fallen, so it is gratifying to know that our services are improving and are above the national average.

"There are still many things we want to do to provide more value for money and excellent services for our council tax payers.

"But these independent measurements show that we are heading in the right direction and we are doing so by keeping taxes down."