TEESDALE District Council's chief executive has responded to a highly critical report, published next week, which has given his authority a "poor" performance rating.

The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) was carried out by the Audit Commission, whose findings look likely to condemn Teesdale as "a poor council with significant and long standing weaknesses in political leadership."

But chief executive Charles Anderson was genuinely surprised by the overall rating.

"I am not going to deny it, but ironically it does have a silver lining," he said. "Although nobody likes criticism from a government watchdog, it means we will now have access to Government resources. Had we had those resources in the first place we might have been in a very different position."

The D&S Times believes the report will state that the council's strengths outweigh its weaknesses in the quality of its services, with cleanliness, the leisure centre and the planning service expected to score highly. But we understand it to be critical of other areas including a lack of clear prioritisation and targets, lack of consultation and delays in processing benefit claims, leaving the good scores unable to elevate the poor rating.

Coun Ken Robinson, chairman of the council's corporate strategy group and leader of the Labour group, said: "We are not in denial, but the quality of services we deliver are highlighted as having more strengths than weaknesses. At the end of the day that is what Joe Public wants.

"What we are criticised for is the political processes in administering those services, but we're meeting those criticisms and putting forward an improvement plan."

Mr Anderson said the planning department had recently seen its work rewarded with a £283,000 delivery grant.

"Directly from central Government, it's an acknowledgement of and incentive to maintain our high standards," he added.

Committees are now to be streamlined, with the planning and licensing committees each being reduced to one committee. The corporate strategy group will be reformed to be representative of the whole council.

"A lot of what is in the report we have to acknowledge," said Mr Anderson. "What is not evident is the extent to which we are accelerating out of it."

Local MP Derek Foster was also surprised by the rating. "In my personal dealings with the council, especially since Charles Anderson has been chief executive, they have always dealt with my constituency queries clearly and satisfactorily," he said. "And on the economic and tourism front their performance has been outstanding."

"The few complaints I get regarding Teesdale are usually about council tax," said Mr Foster. "I have to explain that nobody should blame the council for that. They have had to make difficult choices because of a cut in their settlement.

With regard to "poor political leadership", Mr Foster said as long as he had been an MP Teesdale had had no party political control, but for most of the time had been able to handle that.