TRAFFORD council trumpets the fact that it has just won the 'Council of the Year' award.

Yet, if one looks at the 1998 figures for quality of service provision, recently published by independent Government watchdog the Audit Commission, Trafford ranks 87th out of the 96 unitary councils in the country.

This is well below Bolton (22nd), Wigan (35th), Bury (49th), Salford (66th) and Manchester (74th) according to statistics based on councils' own performance figures and looking at a representative sample of 22 of these indicators.

That Trafford, by its own figures, is in the bottom 10, is a worrying indictment and seems to fly in the face of claims of excellence.

Dr Neil Barrett, Meadowgate, Urmston.

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.