Fife Council EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 HOURS THURSDAY 12 MARCH
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Audit of Best Value and Community Planning Fife Council EMBARGOED UNTIL 00.01 HOURS THURSDAY 12 MARCH Prepared for the Accounts Commission March 2009 The Accounts Commission The Accounts Commission is a statutory, independent body which, through the audit process, assists local authorities in Scotland to achieve the highest standards of financial stewardship and the economic, efficient and effective use of their resources. The Commission has four main responsibilities: • securing the external audit, including the audit of Best Value and Community Planning • following up issues of concern identified through the audit, to ensure satisfactory resolutions • carrying out national performance studies to improve economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local government • issuing an annual direction to local authorities which sets out the range of performance information they are required to publish. The Commission secures the audit of 32 councils and 41 joint boards (including police and fire and rescue services). Local authorities spend over £19 billion of public funds a year. Audit Scotland is a statutory body set up in April 2000 under the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000. It provides services to the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission. Together they ensure that the Scottish Government and public sector bodies in Scotland are held to account for the proper, efficient and effective use of public funds. Fife Council Contents The Audit of Best Value Efficiencies Page 2 Procurement Commission findings Page 24 Page 4 Continuous improvement Overall conclusions Page 25 Page 6 Equal opportunities Part 1. Does the council have clear Page 26 strategic direction? Page 9 Sustainable development Page 27 Context Page 10 Part 3. How are services performing? Page 29 Leadership and culture Page 11 Statutory performance indicators Setting a clear direction Customer focus Page 14 Page 30 Engaging with the community Education Page 16 Page 31 Part 2. Is the council organised to Social work deliver better services? Page 32 Page 18 Local community and housing Working in partnership Page 33 Page 19 Environment and development Managing performance Page 34 Scrutiny Part 4. What needs to improve? Page 21 Page 36 Managing resources Fife Council improvement agenda Page 22 Page 37 The Audit of Best Value The Audit of Best Value This report is made by the Controller As Best Value and Community of Audit to the Accounts Commission Planning encompass all the activities under section 0() of the Local of a council it is not realistic to audit Government (Scotland) Act 97. After everything in depth, so we plan our considering it the Commission may detailed work in two ways: do any or all of the following: • Where possible, we draw on • direct the Controller to carry out the findings of other scrutiny further investigations processes, such as the work carried out by the council’s external • hold a hearing auditors and by inspectorates. These are incorporated into • state its findings. our report. The Local Government in Scotland Act • We select certain aspects of 00 introduced new statutory duties the council’s performance for relating to Best Value and Community detailed audit investigation. A wide Planning. The scope of Best Value and range of sources, including the Community Planning is very broad council’s own assessment of its but in general terms a successful performance, reports issued by council will: external audit and inspections, and national Statutory Performance • work with its partners to identify a Indicators (SPIs), informs this clear set of priorities that respond selection. to the needs of the community in both the short and the longer term • The report reflects this selective approach, with detailed • be organised to deliver those commentary on some areas and priorities limited or no coverage in others. While we have made some • meet and clearly demonstrate comparisons with other councils, that it is meeting the community’s our overall approach has focused needs on performance trends and improvement within Fife Council. • operate in a way that drives The report also reflects the picture continuous improvement in all its available at the time our main audit activities. work was conducted between July and September 008. The challenge for local government is to find new ways of working across We gratefully acknowledge the services and with other bodies to co-operation and assistance provided achieve the best results for citizens to the audit team by Fife Council, and service users. The key objectives particularly the councillors and officers of this audit were to: contacted during the audit. We would like to particularly thank Councillor • assess the extent to which Fife Peter Grant, the leader of the council; Council is meeting its duties under Ronnie Hinds, the chief executive; and the Local Government in Scotland Peter Corbett, Niki Ross and Fiona Act 00 Moffat (Strategy and Review Team). • agree planned improvements with the council. These will be reviewed by the council’s external auditor over the next three years. Commission findings Commission findings 1. The Commission accepts this 3. For the future, we consider it report on the performance of Fife essential that effective performance Council’s statutory duty to secure information is in place to underpin Best Value and to initiate and facilitate improvements in service delivery. the community planning process. Elected members should take more The Commission recognises that of a leadership role in driving forward the report gives a broad picture of the best value agenda at a strategic the council’s performance based on level and should participate fully in the work of Audit Scotland and the training and development. There is findings of other scrutiny bodies such room for improvement in respect of as Inspectorates and that it does not workforce planning and a need for attempt a comprehensive review of improved monitoring of the outcomes all service delivery. We acknowledge of partnership working. We would also the co-operation and assistance given encourage the council to develop the to the audit process by members and working of its area committees and to officers of the council. make progress with shared services. 2. We are pleased to note that the 4. Fife is a unitary police authority council has a clear strategic direction and fire and rescue authority, one of and shows good self awareness, only two such councils and this is with many of the building blocks in therefore the first time that we have place for achieving best value. We looked at police and fire as part of welcome the recent increase in the a Best Value audit. We found a lack pace of change and the evidence of clarity around the roles of elected of recent significant improvements members in relation to these services in statutory performance indicators and the council should review and we note, in particular, the good how it discharges its best value performance of the education service responsibilities with regard to police and the improvements in social work. and fire and rescue services. We would urge the leadership of the council, both officers and elected 5. We look forward to receiving from members, to maintain the momentum the council an improvement plan with towards further improvement. measurable and achievable outcomes to address the issues highlighted in the Controller of Audit’s report and these findings. Overall conclusions Overall conclusions 7 Fife Council has a clear strategic 2. The council’s leadership provide in Fife. Monitoring of outcomes has direction. The council’s leadership clear direction and communicates been limited and the council as lead has set out its vision and priorities their priorities effectively. There is partner needs to ensure that plans and communicated these constructive cross-party working. Over are implemented and performance effectively. The council is ambitious half the council is made up of newly monitored more effectively. and has recently put the building elected members and, while they blocks of best value in place. It have a good awareness of what is 6. Fife Council is a unitary authority shows good self-awareness of what required, all elected members would for police and fire and rescue is required and it is developing a benefit from better use of learning services. Elected members are not culture of continuous improvement. and development activities. Elected fulfilling the range of their best value The pace of change has increased members need to play a more active responsibilities for these services. and the council needs to maintain role in driving improvement and The current arrangements do not this momentum if it is to achieve implementing the best value agenda provide adequate time for discussion its priority of becoming a ‘top at a strategic level. of strategic issues and there is a performing council’. lack of clarity about the respective 3. The council’s vision complements roles of members in relation to the Elected members have not been that of the Community Planning chief constable. The council needs sufficiently active in leading Partnership (CPP). It is supported to review how it discharges its best improvement and implementing by the ‘Big 8’ priorities, which are value responsibilities in relation to the the best value agenda at a strategic recognised and supported by elected police and fire and rescue authorities. level. The council needs to review members and officers. The corporate how it discharges its best value planning framework focuses on 7. Fife Council has in place the responsibilities in relation to the vision and priorities but there is key elements of a performance the police and fire and rescue scope to integrate the work of area management framework. Further authorities. committees more effectively. The development of the framework council is ambitious and shows good and significant improvements to The council works closely with its self-awareness of what is required performance reporting is required to partners and community planning through its corporate improvement enhance the scrutiny of performance.