01 February 2008
A council strongly criticised for its performance has been told to speed up improvement by the Accounts Commission, the local government watchdog for Scotland.
West Dunbartonshire Council is the only local authority to have been the subject of a commission hearing during a Best Value and Community Planning audit.
After the 2006 hearing, the commission said the authority was not in a position to deliver Best Value, that decision-making at the highest levels was not open and that it needed sustained investment across a range of activities.
In a progress report issued last week, the commission endorsed the conclusions of controller of audit Caroline Gardner.
She acknowledged that the council had developed an appropriate improvement plan but said it needed to increase the momentum of Best Value progress. Commission chair John Baillie said: 'We now urge the council to speed up their improvement activity and become more focused.'
He added that the council needed to prioritise relationships between members and officers, test the competitiveness of its services, develop robust financial planning and improve how it works with the local community.
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