COUNCIL chiefs in Wiltshire have promised to keep improving services after failing to better their performance rating in the latest round of assessments.

Wiltshire County Council scored a ranking of "fair" for the second year running, remaining in the bottom half of the country's top tier authorities.

Councils are rated on services provided, with the Audit Commission ranking each sector out of four points.

Standards of social care for children in Wiltshire dropped a ranking, from the last assessment in 2002, to two points, while the ranking for library and leisure provision was frozen at two points.

Weaknesses were identified in how social care for adults is delivered, but it was revealed how more drug users than ever are getting help for their

addictions.

Improvements were made in the education sector, with fewer schools in special measures while improvements in waste handling and recycling meant the council's ranking for environment services went up from two to three points.

Council officers said the overall ranking remained the same because the reassessment only looked at service provision and not how the council is managed.

Authorities performing well in the reassessment of services can ask for a corporate review to boost the rating.

Council leader Jane Scott said: "The reassessment highlights the strong position we are in to secure further improvement.

"We are restructuring some of our services and making it easier for people to contact the council by introducing a customer contact centre next year and setting up contact points in our libraries."