INSPECTORS have given a council top marks for its adult and community learning service.

The Adult Learning Inspectorate has given Gateshead Council a grade one for the service it provides for thousands of people each year.

The service, which the Inspectorate said was outstanding, got the highest award ever given to a council.

The council offers almost 500 courses at 70 venues and has 16,000 adults and young people on its books.

The council's Foundation Learning Service, which prepares people for learning, got a grade two, a "good" rating, as did the council's "highly effective equal opportunities practices".