An eight-strong team will started work this week to transform North East Lincolnshire's failing social services.

The PricewaterhouseCoopers team will work alongside Learning and Child Care staff to make improvements. The council got a "no star" rating from the independent Social Services Inspectorate earlier this year.

It highlighted the problems with the service which came in the wake of the murder of Grimsby toddler Philip Martin, who had been on the child protection register but taken off shortly before he was killed.

But council bosses said social services staff were a big hit with service users. The Government Joint Review Team's satisfaction survey revealed 85 per cent of service users gave the service a thumbs-up.

It was the highest positive response to service delivery of anywhere in the country. The action plan for social services was approved by the independent Social Services Inspectorate which gave NELC a zero-rating.

Geoff Hill, director of learning and childcare, said: "We recognise that we need help in some areas and working alongside this team of management experts presents us with a golden opportunity to improve our existing structures and to deliver a better service to our community.

"We are absolutely determined that we will be among the star-rated authorities next year and the improvements that will come out of working with this team will be extremely valuable and long-lasting."

Coun Mick Burnett, portfolio holder for learning and childcare, added: "Our front-line staff are dedicated to the people they serve."