Teesdale District Council has improved says Commission

Teesdale District Council is now 'fair' according to a new report released today by the independent Audit Commission.

This follows an inspection of its performance by the Commission and represents an improvement from the Councils comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) score of poor in 2002. The corporate assessment looked at the Councils ambitions, its ability to improve its services and what it has achieved since the last assessment.

Audit Commission senior manager Marion Talbot said: Teesdale Council has made positive progress since we rated it as poor in 2004. It is performing at least adequately in all aspects covered by this assessment, which is a significant improvement from last time when almost all were judged to be inadequate. The Council is able to demonstrate clearly that lessons have been learned and it now operates in a more strategic and coherent way.

It has responded to residents' concerns over street cleanliness, and satisfaction in this area is improving. Services such as bulky waste collection are clearly designed to suit local needs and tackle the remoteness of many households. Together with partners, the Council has put in place a number of initiatives to develop tourism and these have resulted in increased visitor numbers as well as improving the local economy and employment. The Council is working with Durham Primary Care Trust to promote initiatives that will improve health, through programmes around exercise, walking, and recovering from strokes. These are improving the quality of life for local people.
 

Strengths include:
 

• The Council has created a sound basis, together with renewed optimism, for future improvements to the quality of life for local people.
• Its decision making is clearer, councillors recognise the need to change and there is improved community leadership and better working in partnership.
• The Council is strongly committed to understanding the needs of all local communities and has improved its response to the needs of gypsies and travellers, and young people
• The Council is making more effective use of its resources.
• The Council has a good local reputation for delivering services and this is valued by local people.
• It is an active partner in the work of the Barnard Castle Partnership Board (BCPB) which has produced the Barnard Castle Vision a comprehensive and challenging blueprint for the future of the main market town.
   

Areas for improvement include:
 

• The Council needs to continue to exercise its community leadership role effectively during the transition to a new unitary council for the county of Durham, so that it promotes the needs of the district and the interests of local people.
• The Council needs to ensure it does not allow the work to develop the new unitary council to reduce service quality during the transition period.
• It should improve the attendance and contribution of councillors at partnership groups in order to keep the profile of the district and the needs of its residents as high as possible.
• The Council should tackle the shortcomings of the scrutiny function by ensuring that its energy is channelled into supporting achievement of the Council's priorities.
• It should build on recent improvements to the promotion of equality and diversity by ensuring that all minority groups are given the opportunity to participate in setting local priorities for improvement.
   

Following todays report Teesdale District Council will plan what it needs to do to improve its services to meet the changing needs of its residents.

Copies of the report are available from Teesdale District Council or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports