Things can only get better for no-stars Reigate & Banstead

Commission inspectors awarded the service no stars out of a possible three and rated it "poor" – but added that it had promising prospects for improvement.

An Audit Commission spokesperson said: "Only half of the planning customers are satisfied with the service, the local plan is out of date and the service is expensive.

"There is an improvement plan in place with the senior manager responsible for implementing the plan and the improving the service.

"Some improvements have been implemented and there is a momentum for change."

The council was marked down for a number of failings: the planning committee was found to be inaccessible to the public; the planning service was the most expensive in the commission's group of similar councils; and just 53% of customers were found to be satisfied with the planning service – well below the national average of 75%.

Allen Kay, councillor and portfolio holder for the environment, said: "Although we are disappointed to receive a poor appraisal, we are now exceeding government targets for speed of processing planning applications and have every reason to be confident about the service we provide in the future."

n Babergh council's housing services have been awarded two stars by the Audit Commission and given excellent prospects for improvement.

The commission found that tenants had good access to housing services and satisfaction was high.

[one more inspection to come from MB]