Pembrokeshire County Council has been ranked the best in Wales in terms of the proportion of performance measures that have improved year on year - according to the annual publication of local authority performance data.

The data was contained in a report published on Wednesday by the Local Government Data Unit which monitors the performance of certain services provided by the 22 Welsh councils.

The figures show that in 2014/15, 33 performance measures improved in Pembrokeshire compared with 23 in the previous year. Only five measures declined, compared with 18 in 2013/14.

Pembrokeshire County Council has also been ranked sixth overall in relation to its performance against all 42 measures.

The authority was considered to be the best in Wales in six of the 42 measures monitored, three of them in adult social care and two of them in child care.

The council also gained three second places, one of them for recycling waste.

Council leader, Jamie Adams, said: “I recognise that the past year has been an extremely challenging one for the authority.

“During this time, the focus of the cabinet and senior staff - and indeed all staff - has been to ensure that the services we provide continue to improve. I am pleased to say that this review proves we are achieving that goal.

“The figures are a real shot in the arm for the council and to be ranked sixth in Wales is a terrific achievement.

“That said, we still have more to do in certain areas, and there is no room for complacency.”

Other areas where the authority performed well against other councils included attracting visits to leisure centres; the percentage of land with high or acceptable standard of cleanliness; the percentage of food establishments broadly compliant with hygiene standards.