Transcript

Best Value & Community Planning Audit of Clackmannanshire Council 

This is Anne McCubbin here to talk with Mark McCabe and Martin Walker about our report on Clackmannanshire Council and Best Value. Mark, what are the main findings in the report?  

In achieving Best Value the council faces a number of significant challenges which are specific to its situation. These arise from its relatively small scale – it’s the smallest mainland council in Scotland in terms of staff and finances - and it also faces a number of challenges in relation to it social and economic circumstances and its geographical location and transport links. 

For example the number of severely deprived areas within Clackmannanshire has been increasing and a high proportion of its area is among the most deprived in the country. There are relatively poor transport links to the area, although new developments are underway with the building of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway, a new river Forth crossing and an improved road link to Stirling.

Overall the council’s progress in delivering Best Value has not matched its aspirations.   
To achieve Best Value, the council needs effective leadership by its elected members and political structures that clarify roles and responsibilities. It needs to be clearer about its priorities and what it wants to achieve and be better at linking its policies to its available resources. It needs to demonstrate more clearly that its services are competitive and needs to develop a Human Resources strategy. 

Martin, which services are doing well and which not so well?  

The council successfully delivers a number of good quality services and we have highlighted examples of these in the report. These include care services for children and older people, waste recycling and dealing with planning applications and noise complaints. But there are some important areas where it needs to improve. These include educational attainment, housing management, providing respite care, carrying out food hygiene inspections and inspections of trading premises and the collection of council tax.  It also needs to make progress in implementing Single Status for its workforce, which is essentially new terms and conditions for its workforce.

Mark, what does the future hold for this council?   

In going forward the council recognises the potential benefits of sharing services and delivering services jointly with others to address its issues of small scale and limited resources and has been looking in some detail at the feasibility of how it might progress ways of doing this.  The Accounts Commission have suggested that it is vital that the council now places a high priority on more joint working, and shared management, particularly with other councils, and that it sets realistic timescales for taking this forward.

Martin, finally, what happens next with your report?  

The first stage will be for the council to consider the Commission’s findings and then consider how it will continue making progress on its improvement plan and how it might amend this in the light of this report. Members of the Commission will also visit Clackmannanshire in the next few months to discuss the council’s improvement plan. The council’s progress will also be monitored on an ongoing basis by the Local Audit Team – as happens in all councils.

Martin and Mark, thanks very much.