But council wins praise for work

West Lothian Council is performing well, but councillors need to play a “more prominent role” in the face of a £73.5million funding gap, according to a local government watchdog.

A new report published by the Accounts Commission this week charts the council’s progress since 2005.

The Best Value Assurance report highlighted the council’s strong vision and well-established processes for capturing local people’s views.

It also noted the effective management of its finances and its improved outcomes for local people, especially in education.

However, the report said the significant changes to service delivery needed to bridge the council’s £73.5m funding gap over the next five years “may be difficult to deliver.”

And the report also went on to say that earlier councillor involvement in identifying spending priorities would have reduced the council’s risk of failing to deliver budget savings on time.

In its findings, the commission says councillors need to play “a more prominent role” in responding to budget challenges. And it calls for all elected members to be involved in effectively scrutinising the council’s policy priorities and overall performance.

The watchdog also noted the need for greater transparency around the council’s governance arrangements with West Lothian Leisure to ensure proper scrutiny of its finances and performance.

Graham Sharp, chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “West Lothian Council continues to maintain its strong performance and we are pleased that outcomes are improving for local people.

“As with other local authorities, the council faces substantial budget challenges. And for that reason it is crucial that all elected members play a more active role in scrutiny of policy priorities and performance.”

Leader of the Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick said he is pleased Audit Scotland had recognised the council’s outstanding performance.

“Thanks to Audit Scotland for a very thorough report into the performance of West Lothian Council,” he said.

“I’m delighted the inspectors have recognised that West Lothian continues to be one of the top performing councils in Scotland.

“This excellent report is testament to the hard work by thousands of dedicated staff to deliver essential services for the people of West Lothian.

“We will look carefully at the recommendations to ensure improvements continue to be made, despite the challenge we face with over £73 million of budget reductions needed over the next five years.”

The detailed audit was carried out by a joint team from Audit Scotland and Ernst and Young between May and August 2017.

A copy of the full report is available at www.westlothian. gov.uk/performance.