Stirling Council
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The Audit of Best Value and Community Planning Stirling Council Prepared for the Accounts Commission November 2011 The Accounts Commission The Accounts Commission is a statutory, independent body which, through the audit process, requests 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 45 joint boards and committees (including police and fire and rescue services). 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. Stirling Council 1 Contents Commission findings Part 5. What have the council and Page 2 its partners achieved? Page 18 Part 1. The Audit of Best Value Page 4 Part 6. Is the council managing its resources effectively? Best Value Page 25 Stirling Council Best Value audit Part 7. Prospects for future scope improvement Page 5 Page 30 About this audit report Is the council aware of where it Page 6 needs to make improvements and is it committed to change? Part 2. Overall conclusions Page 31 Page 7 Does the council have the Performance assessment leadership capacity and capability Page 8 to deliver improvements? Page 32 Areas for improvement Page 9 How effective is the council’s management of improvement? Part 3. Local context Page 33 Page 10 Appendix 1. Judgement Stirling descriptions Page 34 The council Page 11 Part 4. Is the council working effectively with its partners to improve Stirling? Page 14 Are they focused on the challenges for Stirling? How effective is partnership working? Page 15 2 Commission findings Commission findings 3 1. The Accounts Commission accepts 5. While recognising the good this report from the Controller of Audit progress made in partnership on Stirling Council’s performance of working, the Commission emphasises its statutory duties on Best Value the need for the council to make and Community Planning. The working with its strategic partners Commission notes that, in respect more effective through rationalising of these duties, the council’s overall partnership structures and joint performance is good and that it working arrangements. This will help has good prospects for future the council and its partners to be improvement. clearer on the outcomes that they are trying to achieve for the communities 2. The Commission recognises of Stirling. This is particularly the case that substantial progress has been in relation to economic inequalities made by the council since the and rural economic development. first Best Value audit in 2005. It is very encouraged by the strong 6. The Commission is encouraged collaborative leadership in the council by positive progress in the council’s between members and officers, and performance but notes the need for across political groups. It welcomes improvement in some services – the clarity of the council’s vision and particularly roads, waste management its good sense of self-awareness and aspects of social care. which provides a sound basis for further improvement. 7. On behalf of the Commission, Audit Scotland will continue to 3. The Commission notes the work closely with other scrutiny council’s good governance bodies to deliver an annual shared arrangements but would underline risk assessment of Stirling Council the importance of the council assuring and agree a schedule for audit and itself that those in vital statutory inspection work to assess continued positions, such as the chief financial progress. It will monitor progress officer and monitoring officer, are able on the key issues identified in these to exercise sufficient influence within findings and report on them as part of the organisation to discharge their the annual audit process. statutory obligations. 4. The Commission notes the positive progress made by the council in improving important aspects of how it manages its resources, notably in relation to its workforce, assets, and procurement. It would urge the council to maintain this momentum. In particular, the Commission notes the considerable scope for better engaging the council’s workforce in developing its improvement agenda. 4 Part 1. The Audit of Best Value Part 1. The Audit of Best Value 5 Best Value each council receiving an Assurance in the current economic climate. and Improvement Plan (AIP) each year The council’s work in supporting 1. The statutory duty of Best Value which sets out the scrutiny activity the economy remained an area of in local government was introduced that the council can expect to take uncertainty in the 2011–14 AIP. in the Local Government in Scotland place over a rolling three-year period. Act 2003. In response, the Accounts The first AIPs, which were published 7. The environment and sustainability Commission consulted on, and in July 2010, covered the period from were identified as areas of implemented, the audit of Best Value April 2010 – March 2013; the most uncertainty in the 2010–13 AIP, and Community Planning. The first current AIPs were published in May and had been identified as areas round of Best Value audit reports 2011 and cover the period April 2011 of ‘no significant concern’ in the have been published on all 32 councils to March 2014. 2011–14 AIP. However, the Best in Scotland. Value audit included environment 4. The 2010–13 Stirling Council and sustainability within its scope to 2. This next phase of the Best Value AIP identifies the need for a Best look more closely at the performance audit is carried out and reported under Value audit as a part of the required of services including roads, waste the same legislative framework, response to local scrutiny risks. management, and planning; and to but the approach has moved on This was largely in response to allow a fuller examination of how significantly from the 32 baseline areas of uncertainty over the partnership working is applied in audits. In particular, the audits are: council’s corporate arrangements, practice. and some aspects of its service • more proportionate and risk- delivery, including the economy and 8. Significant areas within the council’s based, reflecting more closely the environmental services. The 2011–14 corporate activities remained areas of particular issues faced by individual AIP update noted that self-evaluation uncertainty in the 2011–14 AIP. These councils and their partners had improved in the council and that areas are fundamental to Best Value the number of areas of uncertainty and were given a strong focus in the • founded on a shared risk had reduced. As such, the 2011–14 audit. The corporate assessment assessment process, conducted AIP recognised that the scope of this considered how the council uses with colleagues from other Best Value audit would be narrower resources to deliver its priorities. local government inspectorates than previously anticipated. The audit This includes: how it achieves particularly Education Scotland, the focused on specific aspects within improvements and efficiencies; Care Inspectorate and the Scottish three main areas of assessment: how well it works with its partners; Housing Regulator (SHR) performance management and • outcomes for communities scrutiny; and how well it fulfils its equal • more focused on impact and opportunities and sustainability duties. outcomes, and the difference the • service provision council and its partners are making 9. There are a number of areas we did for local communities • the council’s corporate not focus on during the audit as other arrangements. inspection work has recently taken • designed to provide a more place or is scheduled. This was to rounded view of partnership 5. The audit scope included the minimise any overlap or duplication working in a local area, and the two broad outcome themes of the of scrutiny activity. This report difference it is making. economy and the environment from includes the conclusions from such the council’s strategic priorities. The inspection work where appropriate. Stirling Council Best Value audit audit aimed to give the council an Recent or planned inspection work scope independent external perspective and performance judgements which on how it works with partners and we have drawn on as part of the 3. Best Value is an important part manages the delivery of these scoping and reporting of the Best of the wider scrutiny arrangements outcomes, including how the Value audit include: in councils in Scotland. Audit partnership monitors and reports Scotland works closely with other progress. • Stirling provides a high-quality local government inspectorates, education service. Her Majesty’s undertaking a shared risk assessment 6. The economy features prominently Inspectorate of Education (HMIE)1 process for all 32 local authorities, to in the council’s strategic plan and the has noted that attainment levels support the delivery of targeted, risk- Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) are being maintained and a based scrutiny. This process results in and is an area of risk for all councils number of improvement initiatives 1 Education Scotland, created in July 2011, brings together the resources and functions of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, Learning and Teaching Scotland, the National Continuous Professional Development Team and the Scottish Government’s Positive Behaviour Team. 6 are under way.