Fife Council has many of the building blocks for providing best value, but better performance information needed

The Accounts Commission says Fife Council has many of the building blocks in place for achieving best value. The leadership of the council now needs to maintain the momentum towards further improvement.

Today’s report and findings are the first on Best Value and Community Planning at Fife Council.

Chairman of the Accounts Commission, John Baillie, said:

“Fife Council has clear strategic direction and shows good self awareness. It has many of the building blocks in place for achieving best value. We welcome the recent increase in the pace of change and the evidence of recent significant improvements in services, particularly the good performance of the education service and the improvements in social work.”

However, the Commission believes a number of improvements need to be made for the future.

John Baillie continued:

“We consider it essential that effective performance information is in place to underpin improvements in service delivery. Elected members should take more of a leadership role in driving forward the best value agenda at a strategic level and should participate fully in training and development.

“There is room for improvement in respect of workforce planning and a need for improved monitoring of the outcomes of partnership working. We would also encourage the Council to develop the working of its area committees and to make progress with shared services.”

Fife is a unitary police authority and fire and rescue authority, one of only two such councils. This is the first time the Commission has considered police and fire as part of a Best Value Audit. It found a lack of clarity around the roles of elected members in relation to these services and says the council should review how it discharges its best value responsibilities with regard to police and fire and rescue services.

John Baillie concluded:

“We would urge the leadership of the council, both officers and elected members, to maintain the momentum towards further improvement.”

The council’s improvement work will be monitored through the routine annual audits.