COUNCIL tenants have judged Wigan Council's housing service as one of the best in the county.

Earlier this year, questionnaires were delivered to almost 27,000 council tenants, asking them how satisfied they were with their accommodation, their area and their repairs service.

It also sought views and opinions on a number of other things, such as how the council should communicate with them and what improvements they would like to see to their homes and neighbourhoods.

The Satisfaction Survey drew a great response, with one in three tenants returning their forms.

Results revealed Wigan to have the third-highest satisfaction rating in Greater Manchester, only two per cent behind first place.

But many tenants reported problems with the quality of life on their estates, especially litter and rubbish in the street, dogs, vandalism, drug dealing and other crime.

Director of housing Peter Gee said: "The overall satisfaction levels are a credit to our staff and are very encouraging ahead of our Best Value inspections later this year.

"The results of the survey are very important to us because they will help us improve the services that tenants receive."