In a report out today, the Accounts Commission makes clear the significant progress that West Dunbartonshire Council has made in recent years.
The report from the local authority spending watchdog says a critical part of the progress made has been the effective and improved leadership of councillors and officers, sharing a commitment to making improvements.
The Improvement Service and Audit Scotland hosted a round table on transformational change in January, with public service and third sector leaders, policy makers and partners attending to speak about their experiences.
Societal changes, reducing resources and Scottish Government reforms are creating pressure for transformational change across public services to improve outcomes, support the shift towards prevention and involve citizens more in the important decisions that affect their lives.
Our report on Scotland's colleges 2018 was published in June 2018. The Tableau visualisation below looks at the make-up of the student body, attainment and retention levels and destinations for students.
A deal to harmonise staff pay at a cost of £50m a year will absorb projected savings from the reform of Scotland's colleges, says the Auditor General.
Caroline Gardner's annual report on colleges says the sector reported a very small surplus in its underlying financial position in 2016/17, compared to the previous year's £8m deficit.
But the upturn masks wide variations between institutions, with several colleges facing significant financial challenges.
The report notes that:
Turning the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) into a more flexible, modern service has been steady but slow, says the Auditor General.
Caroline Gardner's report says real progress has been made with integrating the eight former services into a single body.
The SFRS is now in a good position to complete the process following a deal agreed in April 2018 to harmonise firefighters pay and conditions.
Ambitious plans to modernise and transform the service, meanwhile, have been affected by:
In a report out today, the Accounts Commission highlights that East Ayrshire Council is performing well, services are improving, and there is strong partnership working.
The report from the local authority spending watchdog, says the council has maintained the strong performance reported in previous audits in 2006 and 2010.
The Commission says the majority of services are improving. These improvements have been achieved against a backdrop of financial, social and economic challenges in East Ayrshire.
In a report out today, the Accounts Commission highlights that Fife Council continues to improve and has tackled aspects of underperformance head on.
This report, by Scotland’s local authority spending watchdog, charts the council's progress since a previous audit in 2009.
Contact us
If you require a publication in an alternative format, or want to find out about the types of correspondence we deal with, please click the button below.