Kent County Council has retained its reputation as one of the country’s leading authorities after it was awarded the highest rating from a public spending watchdog.

Inspectors from the Audit Commission said KCC, the largest county council, was "performing strongly" in its efforts to provide better services for people and through its work with other organisations.

The inspectors’ verdict has delighted County Hall chiefs, who said it was testament to the hard work and dedication of KCC’s 45,000 staff.

There was more good news for the county council with the publication of a separate report into services for children and young people. Ofsted inspectors say KCC is providing good services for children and the prospects of them getting even better are 'outstanding'.

The inspection, known as the Joint Area Review (JAR), examined the quality of services provided by both KCC and other agencies in the health, community and voluntary sector.

In its report, the Audit Commission described KCC as a council that ‘leads beyond the norm for local government and [is] an outstandingly effective advocate for Kent at all levels, including internationally’.

Stephen Mead, Audit Commission senior manager, said: "The council works hard to be outward-looking, which gives it important strengths. It provides a strong voice for Kent, building high-level alliances, including government departments."

The inspectors said KCC gave good value for money and praised its efforts to find new ways of providing services.

While commending the council as an impressive, high-quality organisation, the Commission also noted that efforts to succeed had "required a drive and firmness of direction that is seen by some as over-dominant."

KCC chief executive Peter Gilroy said the council would not be resting on its laurels. "If you say to me, are all our services good, of course not. We are not saying that excellence means we cannot improve, there are lots of things we want to improve on."

Council leader Cllr Paul Carter said: "This is a fantastic outcome fo Kent, the county council and its partners. The corporate assessment is one element of a wider inspection framework for county councils carried out by the Audit Commission. Full league tables will be published next year.