Government lifts best value notices at councils and combined authority after seeing improvement
The Government has allowed best value notices for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Middlesbrough Council, and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council to expire after concluding that the councils are complying with their best value duty.
In a series of letters sent on Monday (9 September), Max Soule, the Deputy Director of Local Government Stewardship and Intervention at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, said the Government had been reassured by progress seen at each authority.
According to Soule, the decision to lift BCP Council's best value notice came in light of a range of improvement measures, including the decision to update its transformation programme and building outcomes into the Medium-Term Financial Plan and budget for 2024.
Soule also acknowledged that since the Government issued a best value notice in August 2023, BCP Council has agreed on a corporate strategy with "clear priorities", strengthened its senior leadership team, and undertaken governance reviews of subsidiary companies.
He also referenced a recent CIPFA review, which highlights good progress.
Meanwhile, in his letter to Middlesbrough Council, Soule said positive changes to the local authority's personnel in key leadership positions and the delivery of an improvement plan contributed to the decision to lift the best value notice.
Additionally, Soule said that the council had developed strategies and established the infrastructure for ongoing improvement in culture, governance and financial sustainability.
He said the council's financial position has improved since its first best value notice was issued in January 2023, but also acknowledged "significant financial risks" that remain.
"We recognise the work the council has undertaken to understand its previous financial position and the strategies in place to address these through transformation. We also acknowledge the additional plans the council is developing following the recent external finance management assurance review," he wrote.
Improvements at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, which was issued a best-value notice over governance concerns in January 2024, included permanent appointments to its senior leadership team and the continued delivery of the council's improvement plan.
Soule also commended "positive changes" relating to culture and governance across the organisation.
His letter added: "We welcome comments from the independent Improvement Board that it is 'encouraged by the increasing engagement of the constituent authorities and partners' in ongoing work to develop a set of strategic ambitions for the region and a plan to deliver them. We also recognise the authority's constructive engagement with both the Improvement Board and the department throughout the process of the Notices."
Soule said the department would continue to review CPCA's progress and asked that the combined authority continue to engage with the department at the officer level over at least the next six months.
There are currently five best-value notices that remain active, covering South Cambridgeshire District Council, West of England Combined Authority, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Eastleigh Borough Council and Runnymede Borough Council.
Adam Carey
