Council tax-payers in Tonbridge and Malling get the most bang for their buck of any district in Kent, a study has revealed.

Researchers at money.co.uk investigated the performance of the public services experienced by residents paid for through the levy, although this included not just the amount paid to their borough council but also to Kent County Council, Kent Police and Kent Fire and Rescue.

They examined elements such as how much household waste was recycled, how well roads were maintained in the area, the incidence of crime per 10,000 people, fire service response times, how many schools in the area were rated good or better by Ofsted and how well social care services were provided.

Having averaged that out, they then compared it with how much council tax was being paid by the average Band D household.

Of the 13 districts in Kent (including Medway), Tonbridge and Malling either came top or first equal in each category and ended with an overall score of 3.27 out of 10.

If that doesn't sound very much, compare it with Thanet at 1.61.

The research revealed that 91% of schools and 94% of social care homes in Tonbridge and Malling were highly rated, while its waste management was the best in Kent. The fire service's response time was 10 minutes on average, which was 3.47 minutes longer than response times in Greater London.

Ashford in second place also did well in the care homes measure, but was let down by its crime levels, which were 24.9% higher than in Tonbridge & Malling.

Tunbridge Wells, in third place slipped up on the percentage of waste being properly recycled.

The money website did a similar comparison for local authority districts across England, discovering that Wandsworth in London delivered the best value for money with a score of 7.5 out of 10, while Great Yarmouth was the worst performer, just 0.76 out of 10.

Nationally, Tonbridge and Malling was in 54th place, while Thanet came in 283rd.

For the complete data of all English districts, please click here.

Cllr Matt Boughton is the Conservative leader of Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council. He said: "The current economic situation in which many households are feeling the pinch makes it especially important that public services are seen to be delivering good value.

"I know that all council tax funded services are striving to deliver for residents while facing challenges such as rising overheads and labour shortages, which makes it all the more pleasing to see Tonbridge and Malling leading the way in areas such as recycling and low crime rates while also keeping bills down.

"We will continue to do everything we can to support residents and our local economy through whatever challenging times lie ahead."

The council tax for the "average" Band D home in Tonbridge and Malling is £2,064 this year. For Thanet it's £2,034.

Thanet District Council has been contacted for comment but has not responded so far.

James Andrews, a finance expert at money.co.uk, said: "As the cost of living spirals, and with council tax a significant part of most households bills, residents will be wanting reassurance that they are getting a good value for their money."

One way of doing that might be to challenge the band rating of your property.

Mr Andrews said: "With council tax bills rising by around 3% in April last month, it might come as good news for many that 46.1% of tax challenges made last year succeeded in reducing their band.

"As property valuations were roughly done back in 1991, it’s possible that your house was mis-valued."

Details on how to make a council tax challenge can be found here.