NEW figures have revealed just how satisfied residents are with Redditch Council - most giving the authority the thumbs-up.

Of 1,700 returned questionnaires, 65 per cent showed townsfolk were satisfied with the overall way the council ran things.

The survey forms part of a Government drive to impose "Best Value" service provision on local authorities.

A range of leisure, housing, and refuse services were examined:

l Of the two thirds of respondents who had visited the town's landmark Palace Theatre, 81 per cent were happy.

l Forge Mill Needle Museum also scored highly in the satisfaction stakes - 82 per cent of those who had visited were happy with what they saw.

However the council still has work to do to attract the 54 per cent of respondents who claimed never to have visited the attraction.

l Parks, open spaces and recreation facilities were used by 25 per cent of people at least once a week and seven out of 10 residents were happy with the provision.

l Less than half were satisfied with the council's housing services, although 55 per cent of respondents did not claim to be dissatisfied.

l The issue of litter and refuse collection showed only 51 per cent of people were happy with the service - a significant 34 per cent expressing dissatisfaction.

Last year, Redditch Council spent nearly £110 per head on services, £13 more than average.

The council justified this by pointing to the number of extra services it provided such as Dial-a-Ride, the REDI Centre and Shopmobility.

Borough director Chris Smith said: "These results allow residents to see how their council measures up against other councils.

"As it is to be repeated every three years, it will provide a way of checking if customers are satisfied with improvements and if the council are providing value for money.

"However, until we see how we compare to similar councils we do not know how we are performing.

"But with the MORI poll suggesting that 65 per cent of people were satisfied overall, it looks encouraging."

No direct comparisons could be made on the previous years' figures as different questions were asked to gauge public opinion.