Council chiefs told: you can do better
The Accounts Commission has issued a report on the way the council works, and it is not entirely happy with it.
The report recognises the difficult political make-up of the minority administration, but says it is important that all councillors work well together to make decisions.
The body charged with overseeing public bodies like The City of Edinburgh Council says it "can do more to fulfil its potential and further improve the lives of citizens". And they point to the relationships between elected members which they describe as strained.
There are tensions between elected members, which manifest in inappropriate language and tone being used in council debate, in the lack of involvement of some members in decision-making, and in media reports on member disagreements. At the end of
2017 the council, in response to a motion from an elected member, reviewed its arrangements for members to report inappropriate behaviour by other members. Following this, the council offered elected members training in both team dynamics and mediation.
The commission recognise that this makes decision-making difficult and it is time-wasting for council officers, although the council is changing the way that members work with officers to define roles and responsibilities more clearly. While the Chief Executive, the Council Leader and the Deputy Leader work well together, the Accounts Commission believes that relationships between members are "still very strained".
The council has been told that it must now put in place a long-term financial strategy and a more effective workforce plan.
The commission concede that over the last four years many services provided by the council have improved, its finances have been well-managed and ambitious strategies to improve the lives of local people and the economy have been agreed. But the Edinburgh People Survey has shown a decline in satisfaction rates about council services, with only 35% in the most recent survey saying they thought the council was value for money. In contrast around 80% were happy with the parks, libraries, street lighting and public transport but only 42% were happy with roads maintenance and 47% with the way that pavements and footpaths are looked after.
Annual savings of between £35 million and £75 million have been made and in this and the previus financial years the council has drawn on its cash reserves. These were between £13 million to £14 million as was the case in the last four years. The most significant blow to council finances this year has been the loss of a £6 million dividend from Lothian Buses and also the impact of Covid-19 on dwindling parking income. Not all areas of the council under the various Directors have delivered on the agreed savings plans.
Covid-19 has impacted on the council's finances in common with all other local authorities in Scotland and at present there is an estimated £12.2 million shortfall this year, rising to £70 million in three years' time.
One of the things which has worked has been paying EY to consult on making savings in the realm of procurement.
They paid the consultants £5 million and the result was planned savings of £150 million over five years.
This might also mean that the council was overpaying for its products prior to the work by EY.