'Inward' council's long way to go

Moray Council has welcomed the report which branded it inward

A Scottish council has been told it has a "long way to go" to deliver better value to the public.

Moray Council received the judgement in a best value report published by the Accounts Commission on Wednesday.

Accounts Commission deputy chair Isabelle Low stated: "The report describes an inward looking council that has a long way to go."

Moray Council said it welcomed the "frank and honest" report and was trying to move forward.

The Accounts Commission report stated: "Vital management practices such as performance monitoring and checks on the competitiveness of services have been weak.

Ambitious improvements

"The limited evidence available suggests there is considerable variation in service delivery with few elements of best value properly established and significant work is needed to create a culture of continuous improvement.

"Although there are signs that the new leadership of the council has adopted a more positive approach to best value, it is unlikely the council will be able to achieve the rapid change required without external help."

Moray Council now needs to produce an improvement plan that addresses the report and the findings.

We are now moving forward to be more outward looking as an organisation Moray Council

Moray Council said: "The council welcomes this frank and honest report into its arrangements for community planning and best value.

"There are no surprises in the report and it accurately reflects the self assessment submitted by the council in June 2005.

"Overall, the findings are helpful and will help to drive the process of change which started some eighteen months ago."

The council said the convener and senior councillors had been working with the chief executive on a programme of modernisation since 2004.

It added the report acknowledged a substantial amount has been achieved over this period and it was currently in the middle of delivering an "ambitious improvement" programme.

The council concluded: "We are now moving forward to be more outward looking as an organisation."