North Lanarkshire Council has ambitious vision for the future

North Lanarkshire Council has ambitious plans for developing the area and improving services, and it now needs to work with partners to better involve and engage with residents and staff to achieve these.  

A report by the local authority watchdog, the Accounts Commission, says the council's strong financial planning and management means it is in a good position to meet future challenges.

The council has a clear and ambitious plan for regeneration, addressing the area's social and economic issues and improving services. The council now needs to set out workforce plans for all employees, reflecting the expected scale and pace of change. 

Services such as housing and education are performing well, but the council needs to gain a better understanding of the reasons for falling satisfaction levels, particularly for care services. At the same time the council need to keep focusing on underperforming areas, with a quarter of all service indicators currently missing performance targets. 

Ronnie Hinds, Deputy Chair of the Accounts Commission said:

"North Lanarkshire Council has a very high level of ambition for the future of the area, with plans that could deliver significant changes over the long term. This includes a vision to transform town centres and housing, as well as improving digital connectivity and skills. This is critical given challenging social and economic issues.

To realise this ambition the council must ensure it has the right workforce with the right skills in place, as well as effective engagement with and involvement of its residents."