West Dunbartonshire Council announced today (Thursday 11th March, 2009), that it has the necessary arrangements in place to improve the Council's long-term financial position as part of a new Best Value Improvement Plan. This follows publication of the Accounts Commission findings on the Council's 2010 Best Value progress report by Audit Scotland.
The findings noted the Council's progress since July 2009, and the positive steps taken by the Council to make improvements. The report welcomed the improvement plan for 2010/11 and the Council's commitment to formal external peer support for both councillors and senior officers. Many of the areas highlighted in the report as requiring significantly faster progress are being addressed within the new improvement plan, agreed unanimously by Elected Members in December 2009.
Council Leader Iain Robertson said: “This is a constructive report for West Dunbartonshire Council and for local tax-payers. The Council continues to deliver effective and successful frontline services in Education, Social Work and Housing, reflected in positive inspection results from HMiE, SWIA, and the Care Commission in 2009, and by the Housing Regulator in 2010. The report also identifies the internal processes that are critical to effective decision making and planning, and confirms where we must focus resource to improve long-term. We accept that there are still challenges to be overcome.”
Stabilizing the Council's financial position was highlighted as a priority in light of the unprecedented challenges facing Scotland's public sector over the next 3 years coupled with the Council’s low level of free reserves. The Council will continue to identify efficiencies and progress robust financial decision making through its Strategic Finance Working Group that comprises Elected Members and senior officers. It will also focus, as recommended by the Commission, on two areas in order to achieve a sustainable financial position, and ensure progress with the improvement plan:
- Establish systems to ensure the management, monitoring and reporting of progress against projected savings combined with regular and robust scrutiny by senior councillors
- Make more effective use of the support available from others in the local government community, so faster progress can be made with the improvement plan.
Chief Executive David McMillan said: “West Dunbartonshire Council has successfully closed the projected budget gap for 2010/11 and is already working on corporate-wide changes to ensure that the Council meets its financial commitments over the next 3 years. I am confident that Elected Members, senior officers and our wider workforce have the required skills and dedication to work collectively to continue to deliver services to meet local demand in the hard times ahead. We do not underestimate the challenge that we face and we will meet this head on by engaging openly with our communities and our workforce, through our participation in the Shared Service agenda and through thorough financial planning.”
Under the Council's previous improvement plan, work focused on 4 priority areas for improvement – strategic leadership, competitiveness, community engagement and organizational culture. The 2010 findings highlighted insufficient progress in the areas of strategic leadership and member officer relations. These will continue to be addressed as an immediate priority.