20 October 2010
Twelve months ago the Chief Executive at Eastbourne Borough Council, Rob Cottrill, made a very public apology to local people following a critical assessment of the authority by the Audit Commission.
In 2009, as part of a Comprehensive Area Assessment, Audit Commission inspectors rated the council as ‘weak’ and raised concerns about how the council reported and monitored financial information.
While the council felt some of the outcomes did not reflect a number of improvements that had taken place, Cabinet Councillors and the new senior management team all agreed that the work to transform the council still had some way to go.
A year on and the hard work by all council staff has been hailed a resounding success by independent auditors and the Government Office for the South East (GOSE).
Chief Executive, Rob Cottrill, said, “It’s fair to say that everyone was feeling pretty bruised last year when we received that score from the Audit Commission. By the time their report came out the authority had already undergone many changes and was widely recognised as rapidly improving. With the support of colleagues from across the council we have now received an unqualified opinion on the annual accounts, something that hasn’t happened for six years and welcomed an unblemished report by GOSE on our overall performance.”
When the Audit Commission was abolished by the Coalition Government earlier this year, Eastbourne Borough Council voluntarily decided to invite GOSE in to assess how much progress has been made.
Leader of the Council, Councillor David Tutt, said, “These really are fantastic reports. I knew the council had come a long way and improved massively, but our staff and residents deserved to have this progress validated by an independent third party. I was obviously delighted when GOSE agreed to undertake the same rigorous investigation that the Audit Commission had carried out last year.”
Independent auditors, PKF, investigated the Council’s use of resources, focusing on eight ‘key lines of enquiry’. They reported an unqualified opinion on the 2009/10 accounts (for the first time since 2003/4) and said the council meets value for money criteria in all eight key lines of enquiry – a statement never before reported in Eastbourne.
Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Financial Services, Councillor Gill Mattock, said, “I feel both reports represent a major milestone in the journey the council is making towards the delivery of outstanding local services. The new senior management team is doing a tremendous job at a time when public finances are so uncertain. I would also like to single out our Chief Finance Officer for special praise. Alan Osbourne joined us last year and has worked tirelessly with his team to instill a new culture of continuous improvement in the council’s financial management.”
