MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council is one of the top performing local authorities in Wales, according to new data.

The performance of the local authority was measures against the other 21 councils in the country by Data Unit Wales, part of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA).

Education, recycling and libraries are among the services that are used as indicators for performance, with Monmouthshire’s waste service proving to be a key factor in its standing.

The data has also shown areas for development, and leader Cllr Peter Fox said that the council is committed to improve.

“Over the past few years we’ve worked really hard to make the council more efficient,” he said.

“We’ve managed reduced budgets without a decline in front-line services for most people and in many service areas performance has actually improved.”

Cllr Fox added: “We will continue to prioritise those services which have the greatest impact on the well-being of our residents and set the organisation on a path that can deliver a sustainable future for services in Monmouthshire.”

Councillors will receive the full evaluation of the authority’s performance at a meeting on September 21. Further information on the council’s performance plans is available on www.monmouthshire.gov.uk/improvement.