Audit Office praises Carmarthenshire Council
The Wales Audit Office has praised Carmarthenshire County Council for the way the local authority goes about its business.
The WAO has sent the council its Corporate Assessment Letter for 2011/12 which confirms that the local authority’s Improvement Plan submitted to County Council on June 8, 2011, meets the statutory requirements and that the Auditor General is satisfied that the council is discharging its duties to secure continuous improvement.
Wales Audit Office Group Director Alan Morris told a meeting of the full Council: “We have concluded that the council is clearly committed to driving improvements forward and that there are processes in place to achieve this such as your Improvement Plan.
“You have effective arrangements for consulting widely with stakeholders and the public. You are well placed to meet the financial challenges the council is facing.”
The Corporate Assessment Letter sent by Auditor General for Wales Huw Vaughan Thomas said: “Good progress is being made on the areas for improvement identified in my Corporate Assessment report of July 2010.
“The Council’s priorities for the coming period include, amongst others, school modernisation, waste and recycling, and social service procurement. These priorities are appropriate, as is the effort the Council is putting into regenerating its main towns.
“The Council is well placed to address its financial challenges, although the scale of change needed will inevitably continue to require clear leadership and direction.
“The Council built on its already good understanding of local needs through extensive consultation. And the Council’s approach to engaging with the public is good.”
He made a number of recommendations to improve access to information in order to address workforce issues, to strengthen financial management and unit costs information to help to compare service performance and identify scope for further efficiencies.
Council leader Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Any other leader in Wales would be pleased to be at their Council meeting and hear such a positive response from the Auditors.
“However, there is no room for complacency and we will continue to strive to improve our services still further and to manage our finances in the most challenging climate any of us has ever faced.”
The WAO has sent the council its Corporate Assessment Letter for 2011/12 which confirms that the local authority’s Improvement Plan submitted to County Council on June 8, 2011, meets the statutory requirements and that the Auditor General is satisfied that the council is discharging its duties to secure continuous improvement.
Wales Audit Office Group Director Alan Morris told a meeting of the full Council: “We have concluded that the council is clearly committed to driving improvements forward and that there are processes in place to achieve this such as your Improvement Plan.
“You have effective arrangements for consulting widely with stakeholders and the public. You are well placed to meet the financial challenges the council is facing.”
The Corporate Assessment Letter sent by Auditor General for Wales Huw Vaughan Thomas said: “Good progress is being made on the areas for improvement identified in my Corporate Assessment report of July 2010.
“The Council’s priorities for the coming period include, amongst others, school modernisation, waste and recycling, and social service procurement. These priorities are appropriate, as is the effort the Council is putting into regenerating its main towns.
“The Council is well placed to address its financial challenges, although the scale of change needed will inevitably continue to require clear leadership and direction.
“The Council built on its already good understanding of local needs through extensive consultation. And the Council’s approach to engaging with the public is good.”
He made a number of recommendations to improve access to information in order to address workforce issues, to strengthen financial management and unit costs information to help to compare service performance and identify scope for further efficiencies.
Council leader Cllr Meryl Gravell said: “Any other leader in Wales would be pleased to be at their Council meeting and hear such a positive response from the Auditors.
“However, there is no room for complacency and we will continue to strive to improve our services still further and to manage our finances in the most challenging climate any of us has ever faced.”
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