Bedford Borough Council is to be inspected by government-appointed officials as it continues to deal with the financial problems facing the authority.
A government inspector, supported by two assistant inspectors, will carry out a best value inspection at the council over the next three months.
The inspection comes against the backdrop of the council’s wider financial pressures, which have been debated repeatedly in the chamber in recent weeks, including during last week’s Full Council meeting, where councillors voted down the administration’s budget proposals.
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The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will appoint Paul Najsarek as the lead inspector, supported by Margaret Lee and Parveen Akhtar.
The council said the three have “several decades of local government experience between them” and a track record of supporting improvements at other councils.
The inspectors will make an independent assessment of the council’s arrangements to secure continuous improvement, with a focus on economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
They will evaluate Bedford Borough Council against seven core areas set out in statutory guidance:
- Continuous Improvement
- Leadership
- Governance
- Culture
- Use of Resources
- Service Delivery
- Partnerships and Community Engagement
A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “We recognise that this is an important part of oversight by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
“This is a challenging time for councils across the UK, and we are far from the first authority to undergo a best value inspection. It will allow the Government to have confidence in our direction of travel and the culture at Borough Hall.
“The Government has made clear that it recognises that Bedford Borough is at the heart of so much of its agenda, from house-building and East West Rail to Universal Studios theme park and the UK’s biggest roadworks scheme connecting Bedford to Cambridge.
“This does not change our commitment to delivering that agenda, as well as our ongoing task of providing the best possible services to residents across Bedford Borough, with our skilled and dedicated staff.”
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Next steps
The inspectors will be embedded with the council for three months to review the challenges it faces and how it improves.
Their findings and any recommendations are expected to focus on whether the authority is set up to improve at pace, including how it uses resources, delivers services and works with partners and local communities.
Best Value inspections were established under the Local Government Act 1999 and primarily apply to local authorities in England.
