Issue - meetings

a)     To receive a presentation from the Audit Commission on the Annual Audit and Inspection Letter.

b)     To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Orders.

Annual Audit and Inspection Letter

We received a presentation from Jacqueline Barry-Purssell of the Audit Commission on the Annual Audit and Inspection Letter. We noted that the Letter provided an overall summary of the Audit Commission's assessment of the Council and reflected the serious problems identified with the Children’s Service in November 2008 which had given the Council an overall star rating of 1 with an assessment of the Council not improving adequately. Within the CPA scorecard it was recognised that other services were performing well with 3 out of 4 for value for money, environmental services, adult social care, benefits and housing.  While the Council was rated as performing strongly (4 out of 4) for libraries, leisure and recreation services.

We also noted that in addition to the overall position the letter covered four separate service inspection areas that were reported in the last year. The inspection of the Allocations and Lettings Service where the Council was judged as providing a ‘poor’, no-star service having promising prospects for improvement.  There was considerable focus in the Council on addressing the concerns highlighted in this inspection.

The inspection of adult social care services were judged to be ‘good’ on delivering outcomes with ‘promising’ capacity to improve. This was a two star service while the assessment of the housing benefit service was that the Council had achieved a score of 3 (out of 4). Ofsted’s annual performance assessment (APA) in December 2008 had assessed the services for children and young people as being 1 (out of 4) because scoring a 1 on safeguarding meant that the overall score was 1 irrespective of the rating in other performance areas.

We were informed that the APA had judged that in staying safe there had been a serious deterioration in performance and limited impact from services. The specially commissioned Joint Area Review (JAR) in November 2008 had judged safeguarding services including performance management in this area to be inadequate. The APA judged that in enjoying and achieving and economic wellbeing, services were making a greater difference.  Impact was evident in terms of: improved outcomes in the Foundation Stage; attainment that was continuing to improve at all key stages; a higher proportion of young people gaining qualifications by age 19; and by there being better attendance in schools.

The Council was assessed as delivering value of money and had good financial standing.  The Use of Resources score had improved from a 2 to a 3 for financial reporting and maintained overall an assessment score of 3 out of 4. In the area of accounts and governance the comments were generally positive and this was reflected in the important auditor opinions that the accounts for 2007/08 were unqualified and that the value for money conclusion was also unqualified.  

Questions were then put by Members of the Cabinet and answers given and our Chair thanked Jacqueline Barry-Purssell for her attendance and presentation.