Five councils among best in Britain

David Ottewell

December 16, 2004

| Submit Comments | Comments (9) | Previous | Next

BOLTON, Tameside and Wigan have retained their places among the nation's best councils in star ratings announced today.

Cheshire has also been named an "excellent" council while Lancashire got the top ranking for the first time, moving up from "good" last year.

At the other end of the table Salford and Oldham have failed to improve from their ratings of "weak", leaving them hovering just above the lowest rank of "poor" - which would bring the threat of special measures.

Two Greater Manchester councils moved up a category - Trafford, which improved from "weak" to "fair" five months after the Conservatives took control from Labour, and Bury, which moved from "fair" to "good". Manchester and Stockport remain "good" and Rochdale "fair". Warrington stayed in the "good" category.

The league tables, calculated by the Audit Commission, rank 150 councils according to the quality of their services - such as social services and education - and the way they are run. The five categories are "excellent", "good", "fair", "weak" and "poor".

The best councils get fewer inspections and more freedom about how they spend cash. The worst are watched much more closely and can, in some circumstances, be relieved of control of services.

Education

Bury's upward surge was down to improvements in housing, social services for adults, libraries, leisure and environmental services. Trafford was judged to have made advances in education.

Susan Fildes, leader of Trafford council, said: "This has been achieved because of the hard work and dedication of staff and members - and all despite the difficult financial situation left to us by the previous Labour administration."

John Byrne, leader of Bury council, said: "This is not about cold figures or calculations - it is independent confirmation of improved services across departments benefiting citizens right across the borough."

Salford leader John Merry, who threatened to legally challenge the "weak" label last year, insisted today his council was providing better services.

"Audit Commission inspectors have provided a thorough review of our performance," he said. "They acknowledge that the city council is now well placed to make further improvements.

"The city is cleaner, safer, brighter and, quite simply, better."

The league tables show that nationally, two-thirds of the 150 single tier and county councils are now either "excellent" or "good".

James Strachan, chairman of the Audit Commission, said: "It is excellent news that communities are being better served by their local councils."

What do you think of your council? Have your say.

| Submit Comments | Comments (9) | Previous | Next

Showing comments 1 to 9 and replies | View All

(prefer to give no name), Little Hulton (Salford council) (16/12/2004 at 10:46)

I think that Salfords concils weak tag is quite apt, this council charges one of the highest council taxes in the country, and is quite frankly rubbish. The only local toilets I know of in the entire area are in Eccles precinct, it spend ridiculous amounts on street signs ("IN Salford!), which in my opinion could be financed by local businesses via advertising. Litter is a continued problem in my area, along with many other problems (let me say i do not have the time or inclination to say all of the problems or else you would have to devote a whole website to my rantings!)....Come on Salford council, either merge us to Bolton or Wigan or shape up! Or are you saving the money for the mayors/council/city hanger-on-ers Christmas party?........

Louise, Stockton-on-Tees (16/12/2004 at 11:48)

Stockton Borough Council has improved greatly over the past ten years and deserves some recognition! :)
Merry Christmas!

C. Walker., Trafford (16/12/2004 at 12:07)

TRAffORD, Are we talking about the Trafford in Stretford, Manchester. If so, It must be some sort of an inane Joke, has April 1st come early. The only change in Trafford from where I sit, is that now the Tories have taken control the inmates run the asylum. Stretford does not exist where they are concerned. All the money is sent to Altrincham, Urmston and Partington. YES. Stretford does exist. As for education, what improvments, where, the tories only got in a few months ago, they could not possibly have made a difference, if there is any good, it came from the Labour party, the Tories are just trying to take credit for it. Who do they think they are trying to fool.

Brian Beard, Brighton East Sussex. (16/12/2004 at 12:34)

I have lived in Brighton for more than fifty years and can honestly say I have never seen the place in a poorer condition. The Labour council has simply trashed the city. Quality of life for residents is in the gutter and sinking. Brighton council started off with grand plans for us all but they were fatally flawed from the beginning. Their idea of success seems to have been to import all the worst aspects of large city life, drug addiction,prostitution,alcolhism , the something for nothing brigade, filth and grime in abundance. What a list of achievements!, failure is the only thing they do well.

mhb, stretford (16/12/2004 at 12:45)

i think that c walker should also be aware that under labour nothing was spent for years in stretford. mr acton and co. spent huge sums on the waterside building in sale. urmston and altrincham had lots of money spent.
i and other residents badgered my local councillor (labour) for three years to get traffic parking/calming scheme in stretford town centre. the only one they came up (twice) is where we pay TO PARK OUTSIDE OUR OWN HOME.
when labour were booted out my local councillor and her colleagues had finally caved in to what we wanted (traffic calming), but she was very quick to tell me that under the tories the plan would be scrapped, which i investigated and was told that this was lies.
also you must remember that trafford mbc were marked poor and weak by the audit commission - somethig that david acton in print denounced as wrong.
give the tories a chance - seven years of misrule by labour will take sometime to change.

Horace Femm, Sale, Trafford (16/12/2004 at 14:44)

Good to see Trafford achieving some of it's previous excellence. Just shows you what a screw up Labour made when they were in control. In response to C. Walker's comments - yes Stretford is in Trafford but unforunately Stretford has three Labour councillors still! Hence the problem. Move down the road to Sale and see how things should be done

C. Walker, Trafford (16/12/2004 at 15:06)

MHB From Stretford. Please get your facts straight. The Tories won no local election, they made sure that the boudries changed to their advantage, the labour party were not and I repeat not voted out, and you have no idea what the Tories have in store for us. You will eat your words over the next 12 months.

C. Walker, Trafford (17/12/2004 at 11:16)

I agree no money has been spent on Stretford, even under Labour. But even in the short time the Tories took control tens of thousands of pounds have yet again been thrown at Altrincham. I rest my case.

mhb, stretford (20/12/2004 at 10:24)

in reply to c walker's letter.
lets get a few facts straight - the boundary commission changed things not the tories or labour. the commission is an independent body which also acts independently, to try and say this is a political organ is misleading.
in previous years the commission found in favour of labour under ward changes.
labour were voted out by the electorate - not by the commission.
the tone of c walker's letter suggests that she believes mr acton's version of events.
sorry to report but the people of trafford spoke so accept a democratic decision.

()

Report

News