The council was recently rerated from three stars out of four to two by the Audit Commission, ranking it the worst authority in Berkshire.

Opposition Lib Dem leader Jeff Brooks said: “I was surprised by the attitude of the Conservatives. We know that staff turnover has been increasing since we left office and they don’t seem willing to accept that they need to get a grip on the Council. Leaving crucial positions vacant is no way to hit service delivery targets and this score reflects that as well as lowering morale.”

But council leader Graham Jones pointed out that the result was based on the last year the Lib Dems were in power,

Cllr Jones commented: “It’s breathtaking hypocrisy to hear the Lib Dem opposition leader criticizing the score, when it is based on the performance of his party in running the council.

“The public will judge their Council by the quality of front line services such as well-maintained roads and good schools, and by how successful we are at keeping council tax rises down. I can assure the public that whatever happens to our score next year we will be putting their priorities ahead of New Labour’s process.”