A Devon council is taking legal action to stop the Audit Commission from publishing league tables which are expected to grade the authority as "poor".

The tables are expected to criticise Torbay Council, but senior figures on the council say the figures do not accurately reflect how much it has improved.

It is seeking an injunction preventing publication in what could be a test case.

It is very unfair to our loyal and hardworking employees

Council leader Eileen Salloway

Council leader Eileen Salloway said staff had worked with the commission to improve services.

She said substantial improvements had been made and these were not reflected in the figures which are due out on Thursday.

In a statement she said: "We are mounting a legal challenge because we believe the quality of Torbay's services have not been taken into account in the arbitrary scoring system that has been used.

"It is very unfair to our loyal and hardworking employees who daily deliver good services to the people of Torbay."

Torbay calls the league tables simplistic

The council's assistant chief executive, Bill Norman, said its lawyers had advised them that the Commission could be challenged.

Torbay's education services were criticised in September last year by education inspectors Ofsted.

It said the authority did not fully understand its legal duties and gave too little priority to education.

In October last year social services were described as among the worst in the country.

But the council says the situation has improved.

Last Friday inspectors gave it two out of a possible three stars for its education services.

Social services, which was zero rated a year ago, has now received one star.