Midlothian has an ambitious vision but some way to go to fully demonstrate Best Value

In its first report on Best Value at Midlothian Council the Accounts Commission for Scotland says the council demonstrates effective engagement with communities and generally sound financial management but needs to do more before it is in a position fully to demonstrate Best Value and continuous improvement.

Accounts Commission Chair John Baillie said: “Midlothian Council has an ambitious vision based on its understanding of local needs and issues. We recognise the work the council is doing in building affordable homes and improving the quality of the school estate. However, the council has some way to go before it is in a position fully to demonstrate Best Value and continuous improvement. While many of the necessary processes are in place they need to be more effectively implemented and there should be clearer priorities.”

The Accounts Commission finds that the council needs to ensure initiatives are completed and to deal with the areas where there are significant service deficiencies. These include housing management and homelessness services and also its standards of customer care. The Commission would also like to see the council improve some aspects of its people management and make sure that its priorities can be delivered on time. It also needs to ensure that effective processes to support continuous improvement are in place and used across all areas.

The Commission feels particular attention should be given to:

  • Elected members and senior officers providing clearer focus on Best Value and support for continuous improvement
  • Scrutiny arrangements consistently providing members with timely information about service performance
  • Ensuring the competitiveness of its services, with the use of options appraisals and benchmarking and, where appropriate, market testing
  • Considering how best to build managerial and professional capacity within the council.

John Baillie continued: “We look forward to receiving an improvement plan from the council with measurable and achievable outcomes.”