Al long last ... some good news

At last, there is some good news for Boston Borough Council.
A press release says that it has gone from being one of the worst local authorities in the country to one of the most improved inside nine months.
“Monumental efforts by staff have seen the council turn Audit Commission appraisals of its performance and improvement on their head,” it says.
Chief Executive Richard Harbord hailed the latest results as “outstanding” and thanked staff for their time and commitment, saying what had been achieved had been beyond his expectations.
We are told that this means that the threat of Government intervention has been lifted and there are no Audit Commission qualifications in any category, which are now all “adequate.” The council has received a completely clear Value For Money judgement.
“To move from where we were nine months ago to where we are now is excellent. It is virtually unheard of and means we are one of the most improved councils in the country this year,” Mr Harbord told staff.
The independent improvement board, which was formed to advise the council after the commission found the it was performing “poorly”, will continue in an advisory role until May.
Mr Harbord urged staff not to rest on their laurels.
“We are not now starting from a low point but we’ve a long way still to go. We need to carry on working to get better and better.”
Last year the Audit Commission recorded failings against the council and issued a damning report for Value For Money and use of resources. The council’s future hung in the balance with the ever-present threat of being taken over by Whitehall.
By the end of the year the threat of intervention had grown and warnings were being sounded that it would take years for things to improve.
Between January and March, when Audit Commission inspectors began their next examination, intense improvement activity took place, and Mr Harbord made a special plea for the result of those inspections to be the subject of a detailed report after the news that the Audit Commission inspectors’ work was to cease with immediate effect.
In answer to a key question:- Does the organisation promote and demonstrate the principles and values of good governance  the Auditor replies: “Yes. The council has clearly identified roles and responsibilities with further training being given to members and officers to improve understanding of governance. This has improved understanding, compliance and reduced actual breaches with no significant breaches having been identified. The Council has now introduced and applied the Partnership Governance Framework as a formal governance tool for all partnerships.”
Our congratulations to Mr Harbord and his staff.

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