HOUSEHOLDERS in the district of Stratford saw some improvement to services from the district council in the last financial year - the last year of Lib-Dem administration.

By the time the baton was handed to the Conservatives after the May elections, there had been cuts in the time it takes for bureaucratic wheels to grind, with reductions in the time for essential services to be delivered.

The council spent £71.20 per person in the district, which was higher than the £68.72 spent in 1998-1999, while spending on benefits was reduced along with the cost of collecting council tax.

The annual appraisal of the district council's services, the Performance Indicators, show the council's expenditure, gross income and the quality of essential services like rubbish collection, benefits, planning and the environment.

Householders paid £28.51 for their waste collection last year, a small reduction on the previous year's figure of £28.71 and just 30 houses in every 100,000 failed to have their rubbish picked up on a collection day, an improvement of one home on last year.

Coun Susan Juned, leader of the Stratford Liberal Democrats, said refuse collection was a "flagship" of the council and it had worked hard to provide a top quality service.

She added next year's performance might not match this year's as the collection was due to go out to tender and "looking round the country, we have had a very good deal on refuse collection and, I have not seen the new tender's yet, but we must steel ourselves for change."

The planning department, however, appeared to struggle last year, with only 60% of planning applications heard within eight weeks, compared to the previous year's total of 71.2%, but that is down to increased pressure caused by the local plan.

New leader of the council, Bob Stevens, said he was confident that the Conservatives' first year in charge would be a successful one and he would like to see some recognition for the new council's achievements since May.

"I don't think we have had the credit we deserve for some of our achievements, such as investing more money into playgrounds and saving money and it would be nice to have some recognition," he said.