Sunderland City Council 'performing well'

Sunderland City Council is performing well according to an independent report released today by the Audit Commission.

The council is working well with partners to achieve its ambition of making Sunderland a prosperous city - a desirable, safe and healthy place to live, work, learn and visit, where all people can reach their full potential.

The council's efforts are improving the quality of life in the city, which still faces major challenges in addressing high levels of deprivation and meeting the needs of its diverse communities.

Audit Commission senior manager Lynne Snowball said: "Sunderland City Council is determined to raise the image of the city and the aspirations of local people and this vision is shared and understood by partners, council staff and residents alike; there is a real sense of pride felt across the community.

"The council does face significant issues relating to health, employment and education, but is working well with its partners to tackle these."

The inspectors found:

. Sunderland City Council is a good community leader and is highly regarded by its partners. The council has taken the lead in creating a strong image for Sunderland and in raising the city's profile in the region and internationally.
. The council listens to local people and responds to their views. It has a good understanding of the needs of most communities in the city.
. It is well led and managed and is continuing to improve the way it works and the quality of its services. Good financial management ensures that it delivers value for money.
. The council is making good progress in improving the quality of life in Sunderland. It has had considerable success in creating jobs. Economic regeneration is progressing well with significant redevelopment of parts of the city.
. Cleanliness and recycling services are improving and the council is starting to deliver its commitment to sustainability.
. Strong partnership working has resulted in a significant reduction in crime, making Sunderland a safer city. Successful work with young people has reduced incidents of anti-social behaviour.
. The council works well in partnership to improve the health of people living in Sunderland and there is good progress on smoking cessation, take-up of physical activity and healthy eating.
. It provides a wide range of services for older people, based on consultation with them on their needs.

To help the council improve further, inspectors made the following recommendations. The council needs to:

. Be clearer about what the long term ambitions for the city mean by setting concrete targets for what it wants to achieve.
. Improve the role of the Council's scrutiny committees as an effective method of challenge.
. Provide local people and stakeholders with a clear idea of what changes they can expect to see for the city in the future.
. Engage more effectively with all groups within the city in order to meet the specific needs and aspirations of the growing and increasingly diverse population and of more vulnerable groups.
. Further improve performance in recycling, the cleanliness of land and waste disposal.