Further progress still needed at West Dunbartonshire Council

The Accounts Commission has published its findings on West Dunbartonshire Council, following its consideration of the latest update report from Audit Scotland on the council’s progress in meeting its Best Value duties to local people.

Looking at progress since July 2009, the Commission welcomes some positive steps taken by the council. However it also says the council has made insufficient progress on many of the areas identified in 2006 as priorities for immediate improvement and its financial situation is also concerning.

Commenting on today’s findings, Chair of the Accounts Commission John Baillie said:

“We welcome the fact that the council now has an agreed improvement plan and the benefit of formal external peer support for both councillors and senior officers.”

“However there has been insufficient progress against many of the areas identified in the original Best Value audit as priorities for immediate improvement, such as strategic leadership and councillor and officer relations. A number of the issues raised in this report have been matters of concern for some time and councillors could be more engaged with the improvement agenda.”

The findings highlight that the council now faces significant pressures in achieving operational sustainability and financial stability and it has a relatively low level of reserves.

John Baillie continued:

“West Dunbartonshire Council’s financial position is a matter of concern in itself, but is even more troubling as the council has made limited progress on ensuring appropriate strategic leadership and effective relationships between councillors and senior officers. We cannot be confident of the council’s ability to make difficult decisions that address its financial difficulties.”

The Commission recommends the council focus on two areas in order to achieve a sustainable financial position, and ensure progress with the improvement plan. These are:

• Establish systems to ensure the management, monitoring and reporting of progress against projected savings. Key milestones should be clear, and senior councillors must be in the position to deliver active, regular and robust scrutiny of their achievement.
• Take urgent steps to make more effective use of the support available from others in the local government community, so faster progress can be made with the improvement plan. The Comnvention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Improvement Service are helping the council with this.
• The Commission will seek regular updates to provide it with assurance that the financial position of the council is being addressed effectively.