Audit Commission Praises Bexley Council
Bexley Council's services are getting better and better - and the borough continues to have a good record of managing its finances.
At least that's the view of the Audit Commission - the Council's external auditor and the independent body responsible for ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently and effectively, to achieve high-quality local services for the public.
The Borough's financial standing has been highlighted by the Commission in its latest Annual Audit and Inspection Letter. It said that Bexley continues to have strong arrangements in place for budget setting, monitoring and reporting to Members, along with a track record over a number of years of managing resources within budget.
The full text of the letter is available on the Council's website at www.bexley.gov.uk/about/statistics.html
Bexley's Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services, Cllr. Colin Campbell, said: "Everyone in Bexley can be proud of what this report says. It shows that we are continuing to improve our services while keeping costs down. This year our Council Tax increase was the lowest in 13 years. However, we are not complacent and will do everything we can in future years to improve services and deliver continuing value for money."
The Audit Commission's overall judgement is that Bexley Council is improving well and it has classified Bexley Council as four-star borough.
The report said: "Two-thirds of performance indicators have improved. The Council continues to perform well in a number of its priority areas including GCSE performance, elderly care, housing, road safety and waste and recycling. The latter is an award winning service and one of the best in London, with satisfaction improving significantly.
"Bexley works well with partners, particularly with its community groups and the police. Satisfaction has improved across most services, although residents feel less informed about some services, and access to services for some groups could be improved.
"Sports and leisure facilities and libraries have seen an increase in use, and satisfaction has improved.
"The Council has robust arrangements in place that enable improvement. It has embarked on a comprehensive review programme to ensure that it continues to deliver high quality services while ensuring Council Tax increases are in line with inflation. The Council has a good track record of implementing its plans and the capacity to further improve is in place."
