Walsall ready to forgive and forget weak rating after upgrade to fair

7 Apr 05
Walsall council is set to drop legal action over its 'weak' 2004 rating after the Audit Commission this week upgraded it to 'fair'.

08 April 2005

Walsall council is set to drop legal action over its 'weak' 2004 rating after the Audit Commission this week upgraded it to 'fair'.

A review of how the metropolitan borough is run at the corporate level prompted the upgrade in the council's overall Comprehensive Performance Assessment.

The 2004 grading angered the West Midlands council, which was expecting a 'fair' rating, prompting it to seek a judicial review. This was due to be heard by the High Court, but now the Conservative-controlled council is likely to shelve its plans. 'It is not something we need to do now,' said a council spokesman.

This year's Audit Commission report, published on April 4, said the council had shown improvements in the past 12 months. It had 'strong corporate management', 'good staff morale', and Walsall town centre was cleaner, said the commission.

'Walsall has demonstrated an intense focus on improving its services and establishing effective mechanisms to support this,' said Frances Done, the commission's managing director for local government.

The latest report seems to end a rocky period for the council. Just three years ago, the commission called for government intervention and a 'hit squad' replaced the entire senior management team.

However, further improvements are still needed. Some services, such as benefits, remained 'poor', the report said. 

Council leader Tom Ansell said: 'The report demonstrates that Walsall council has come a very long way in a short time, but we recognise we must continue to focus on achieving similar rapid progress in services where there are still improvements to be made.'

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