01 August 2003
Bromsgrove District Council has been warned it must quickly implement 'more effective leadership', following a second damning report from the Audit Commission in just 16 months.
The West Midlands authority still has 'unsatisfactory arrangements for its corporate governance' that are 'affecting its ability to improve services for local people', inspectors have claimed.
The commission's follow-up report, published on July 30, highlights a catalogue of 'serious weaknesses' at Bromsgrove, despite some improvements made at the council since an initial corporate governance inspection in March 2002.
The council's overall financial management is described as seriously problematic and inspectors found that it 'still does not have a clear focus on what is important to local people' – partly because decision-making is monopolised by senior management, with little delegation to frontline officers. The council has failed to meet even its own targets.
Corporate planning is also not aligned to financial planning, 'which means that decisions about where the council spends its money may not be focused on priority services', the report concludes.
Judy Rolston, regional director at the Audit Commission, said: 'I am concerned that the council has made only limited progress since our last inspection.'
She added that the council was 'increasingly willing to seek external support and guidance in making improvements'. But the report makes it clear the commission 'will, if appropriate, consider the need for other support as required'.
A council spokesman said members and senior staff had already taken on board many of the report's conclusions.
PFaug2003
