Best Value Duty

In summary, across the seven Best Value themes and 73 ‘characteristics of a well-functioning authority’ that are described in the statutory Best Value guidance, the following scores have been assigned for the organisation (as of 1 August 2024):

As can be seen by the scoring ‘heat map’ diagram, the overall majority colour is light green indicating that the narratives and evidence produced to support the self-assessment of the characteristics across the themes show broad alignment with the Best Value Duty. Every theme scores a mixture of colours indicating both areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. No single theme is yellow or amber for all or most characteristics which would indicate a thematic cause for concern.

Action Plan

The output from the self-assessment was reported to Standards & Audit Committee in July 2024. This includes, at Appendix A, the action plan arising from the self-assessment against the statutory Best Value Duty guidance. For each characteristic where an opportunity for improvement has been identified, this is described along with the action plan, the officers responsible for delivering the action and an indicative timeline. All actions will be added to the corporate performance system as ‘in-year activity’ assigned to the relevant service areas. Within the tool, timelines for delivery will be further refined to provide a start and end date around other competing priorities. Progress will then be tracked through established corporate performance monitoring mechanisms.

• Report to Standards and Audit Committee - July 2024
• Appendix A: Self-Assessment 2024 Action Plan

Thematic Analysis

In addition, a thematic analysis of the results from our self-assessment was carried out to generate a resource that highlights the main strengths, the key challenges, and the areas for improvement that were identified in each theme through the self-assessment. By determining the Council’s areas of success and the overarching priorities that will facilitate improvement in the areas we have shortfalls, we will be able to direct our resources accordingly, resolve the issue and ensure that our Best Value Duty is being upheld.