Derbyshire's County Hall is in Matlock

The council was the only local government body to receive an overall rating of "excellent", mainly due to high scores in the areas of adult care, resource use and overall service.

No councils in the region received the lowest rating of "poor".

The worst performing councils in the region were Northamptonshire (weak), Lincolnshire (fair), Nottingham (fair) and Rutland (fair).

EAST MIDLANDS Detailed ratings from the region Wonders of the East Midlands

Derbyshire County Council leader John Williams said: "Although we thought we were going from strength to strength - it's much better to hear it from independent inspectors.

"We have worked extremely hard to target our resources where they are needed."

Overall, England's largest councils improved over the last year, the Audit Commission said.

Education, social care for adults, housing and housing benefits saw the biggest improvements, the commission's report said.