Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Lambeth 3 STAR SERVICES
Lambeth 'most improved London council' gets three stars rating
Lambeth is the most improved London council and one of only two councils nationally to have jumped from a one star to three star 'good' rating in just one year, according to an announcement from the Audit Commission today.
Inspectors found the council had 'improved strongly', following their annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment, which rates councils across England on a scale from one to four stars.
The three star scorecard - which is a first for Lambeth - shows the council has significantly improved in a number of areas, exceeding targets to cut crime, increasing visitor numbers to libraries by seven percent and creating one of the highest performing housing benefits team in the country.
The council's award winning X-it programme received a mention for its work to keep young people away from violent crime, and inspectors noted that value for money was 'good' and that children's services had particularly improved.
Last year Town Hall bosses were disappointed when Lambeth was rated as the only one star authority in London, despite improvements in over 75 percent of services. The result was attributed to a low rating for the borough's cultural services which decreased the overall score, although this area has since shown significant improvement.
Cllr Steve Reed, leader of Lambeth Council, said: "Residents demanded change in 2006 and that is what this administration has delivered. Moving up from one star to three stars is evidence that we're now focusing on the things that matter most to residents, including quality services, value for money, and action on crime and climate change. Lambeth is now the fastest improving council in London and is in the upper performance bands nationally for the first time ever - that's the result of real teamwork right across the organisation.
"This marks a turning point for Lambeth. The days of 'loony Lambeth' are now behind us. But I'm keenly aware this isn't a job finished, it's a job that's only just beginning. There's further to go and this year's rating will be a spur to all of us to move further and faster on the journey towards excellence that our residents expect from us."
Derrick Anderson, Chief executive at Lambeth Council, said: "We couldn't have made this leap without the dedicated staff who are committed to making Lambeth a better place for the people who live and work here. I'd like to congratulate all of them for their hard work.
"We've still got work to do, but together we'll be focusing on making Lambeth even better for its residents."
Further information, including Lambeth's Comprehensive Performance Assessment scorecard, is available on our Comprehensive Performance Assessment pages.
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