‘Well managed’ Council delivers ‘high performing, low cost’ services

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is a high-performing, performance focused organisation that delivers low cost, value for money services, an independent review has found.

In February, the Council and its Strategic Alliance partner High Peak Borough Council, invited a team of local government professionals to review its operations and performance as part of the Local Government Association’s Corporate Peer Challenge process.

This latest review took place two years after a previous review.

The report from this year’s exercise has now been released which reflects the previous conclusion that the Council has been well managed for many years and that the Alliance is ‘impressive and continues to be effective’.

It identifies the Council’s strengths in financial management and governance and finds that theCorporate Plan is a clear ‘demonstration of the Council’s ambitions with an understanding of the challenges facing its communities’.

The report also praises the ‘culture of delivering quality’ and notes that when the Council ‘does something, it does it well’.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Mike Gledhill, said: “Being reviewed by professional peers is a great way of making sure that we’re on track and that we’re delivering the services our residents, businesses and visitors deserve.

“This latest review builds on the very positive findings of two years ago and I’m pleased that the strengths that were identified then remain strengths now.

“Of course, we’re always open to hearing ideas for improvement and we’ve set out the actions that are already underway to address the review team’s suggestions so that we use what we’ve learnt to the benefit of everybody in the Moorlands.

“I’d like to thank the review team, our councillors and staff and our partners for giving their time to helping us continue to deliver excellent services for all our communities.”

Other key findings highlighted in the report include:

• Good working relationships with County, Town and Parish Councils and the Staffordshire Leaders Board – the Council is engaging well to bring about the best outcomes for its communities

• The positive impact of council controlled companies - Alliance Environmental Service and Alliance Norse – on service delivery and on generating additional capacity and efficiencies

• Strong, productive relationships between councillors and officers

• Good understanding of the challenges faced and the decisions that must be made around growth and housing and the balance with the natural world

Read the full report and the Council’s action plan.