CULTURAL services provided by City of York Council are "fair", but are "uncertain to improve", according to Government inspectors.

The Audit Commission team handed the £7.6 million service one star out of three and pointed to weaknesses in libraries and sporting provision, where national standards were not met and user numbers low.

Mark Kirkham, senior manager with the commission, said: "City of York Council has improved the political and managerial leadership of cultural services.

"But the quality of libraries and sports facilities has not significantly improved and the council's plans to tackle weaknesses in these areas are not clear or adequately resourced."

Strengths highlighted in the report were parks, arts and children's play schemes.

The disappointing verdict comes in the wake of recent one-star ratings for City of York Council on waste management and housing support for vulnerable residents. They were both judged "fair" and "uncertain to improve".

The latest report says priorities and goals were now clear, and took into account residents' views, but it was still "not clear what the council is trying to achieve by providing these services".

The report admits financial resources are tight but says the authority has not been able to allocate sufficient funds for improvements.

Recommended improvements include a clear set of priorities and delivering better services against a backdrop of savings.

It calls for a radical overhaul of the city's libraries, including improved links to schools, museums and theatres, and says "alternative options" for funding and running libraries should be reviewed.

Coun Alan Jones, Labour's spokesperson for leisure and heritage, said this was further evidence of lack of long-term planning by the Lib Dems.

He said: "Yet again we see they are failing to improve services, and the commission has little faith in their ability to make progress.

"For the last 18 months they have tried to claim all their problems relate to a lack of funding.

"The truth is the Lib Dems are not managing services as well as they should. They just don't have the long term plans in place."

Coun Keith Orrell, executive member for leisure and heritage, said: "Labour's accusation there is lack of planning in the service is plain wrong. There is a much clearer policy and direction to cultural services than there ever was under Labour and this has been explicitly recognised.

"Despite the lack of Government funding, we are making significant progress."

Updated: 13:30 Monday, November 22, 2004