Council rated 'good'

     

Shepway Council is a good council - and that's official.

The ‘good' rating, awarded this week by an independent watchdog, has catapulted the council from its previous weak position into the second highest category possible in council league tables - only one away from excellent.

Council Leader Robert Bliss, said the council was up where it belonged.

"We have leap-frogged from the bottom of the weak table, over the fair rating and into good. It's great news and a reflection of the enormous amount of hard work that has gone into our improvement plans over the last four years.

"The council works hard for the people of the district and although we would never boast that we get everything right, every time, this rating shows what we genuinely believe - that we are good and striving to be better."

The rating was awarded by the Audit Commission, an independent body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently and effectively, to achieve high quality local services for the public.

Commission inspectors said the council:

• Has clear and realistic ambitions which are shared with partners, and address the broad needs of the community.

• Is effective in community leadership at community and inter-agency level.

• Is a robust champion for the needs of its area

• Is willing to make difficult decisions in support of its ambitions.

• Effectively prioritises its actions

• Has identified clear priorities for improvement which reflect local concerns and fit well with national priorities and those of its partners.

• Focuses its resources on priorities.

• Has effective capacity to deliver effective services and achieve its
ambitions.

The report says the council has worked hard to give itself the foundations for future improvement over the four years since it was rated as weak.

"The political and managerial leadership within the council is strong following a major restructuring of the senior management team and changes made to the organisational culture," said the report.

"There are good working relations between councillors and staff and an effective approach is taken to scrutiny. Financial resources are limited but the council is successful in attracting external funding. The approach to achieving value for money is adequate and improving. Although staff capacity is stretched, the council has been successful at enhancing its capacity through its use of shared services."

The man who has been at the helm of the council in the last four years, Chief Executive Alistair Stewart, said he was delighted with the new rating.

"This score is just and deserved and is a tribute to our staff who, with the wholehearted support of our councillors and partners, have worked so hard to improve what we do."

He said the Audit Commission had given some useful comments on areas for further improvement which the council would be working on.

"There is no room for complacency and we will work hard to get even better. But my over-riding feeling at the moment is that Shepway has been justly recognised as a good council."

Nick Ewbank, Chief Executive, The Creative Foundation said: "Shepway District Council has done a remarkable job in the past couple of years in lifting itself from being rated weak to becoming recognised as a good council.

"Here at the Creative Foundation we have certainly noticed the difference in many ways. In particular we have very much appreciated all the efforts the council made in helping us to make the inaugural Folkestone Triennial such a success. We now look forward to working closely with the council on the continued development of the Creative Quarter, on the new performing arts centre Quarterhouse, and on a range of other cultural and environmental issues."