Best Value Duty

The Local Government Act 1999 imposes a statutory requirement on all local authorities to deliver what is termed the ‘Best Value Duty’ – where a Council must demonstrate that it is making arrangements that are economic, efficient and effective, and that it has regard to the need to secure continuous improvement in how it carries out its work. The Duty of Best Value aims to embed a culture of continual transformation, transparency and striving to achieve value for money within the public sector. In May 2024, Central Government published statutory guidance to the local government sector on how to fulfil the Best Value Duty by describing what constitutes Best Value, the standards expected by the Government and the models of intervention at their disposal in the event of failure to uphold these standards. 

• Local Government Act 1999
• Statutory guidance

The guidance also sets out seven overlapping themes of good practice that provides a framework for assessing whether an authority meets and delivers Best Value. These 7 themes represent the key areas where authorities should be able to demonstrate that they are making effective arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised. While these themes are all interdependent - strong governance, culture and leadership underpin having effective service delivery, strong partnerships and community engagement, and the efficient use of resources. Continuous improvement is the outcome of all the themes working well together. 

Upon receiving a non-statutory Best Value Notice (NS-BVN) from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in December 2023, Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) initiated a systematic workstream plan to demonstrate that the Council has fulfilled the Best Value Duty and that there have been arrangements made in all seven areas to secure continuous improvement on an ongoing basis at the necessary pace.

• Non-statutory Best Value Notice (NS-BVN)