06 June 2003
Torbay Council has won a major concession from the Audit Commission after reaching a deal to drop legal action against its Comprehensive Performance Assessment score.
A joint statement on June 4 said the two sides had reached 'an amicable settlement', under which there would be a further corporate governance assessment when Torbay 'reasonably believes it has made sufficient progress'.
This in effect means that Torbay can ask for a reinspection at a time of its own choosing.
In return, Torbay's new Liberal Democrat administration, which gained control after the local elections in May, has accepted the legality of the CPA process.
Legal costs will be met under a deal that 'has protected the interests of council taxpayers', the statement said.
Neither the commission nor the council would add to the statements issued.
The row began in December when the town's previous Conservative administration threatened to seek an injunction to prevent the commission from publishing its assessment of Torbay as 'poor'.
Torbay argued that minor score differences in two categories would have seen it rated as 'fair', and called the process 'irrationally simplistic'.
The London Borough of Ealing also successfully challenged the commission's assessment, and in April reached a settlement to be regraded from 'weak' to 'fair'.
PFjun2003
