Bedford Borough Council is facing fresh questions over whether it can deliver on promised improvements, after councillors warned its governance arrangements are so complex they risk blurring accountability.
At the same time, the authority is pressing ahead with a separate adult social care improvement plan after a critical Care Quality Commission report found delays, safeguarding weaknesses and poor experiences among unpaid carers.
At Tuesday night’s Audit Committee meeting, members were presented with what officers described as a “robust” structure for overseeing the council’s wider corporate improvement plan.
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But councillors questioned whether the number of boards, committees and reporting lines involved could make it harder, rather than easier, to understand who is responsible for delivery.
At the same time, the council said it would implement an improvement plan in response to the recent Care Quality Commission assessment of adult social care, which rated Bedford Borough Council as Requires Improvement and highlighted delays, safeguarding weaknesses and concerns from unpaid carers.
“Danger of confusion”
The corporate improvement plan is central to the council’s efforts to stabilise its finances and avoid more drastic measures.
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It is being overseen by a network of bodies, including an executive board that meets every two weeks, a finance and improvement committee, scrutiny panels, the Audit Committee, an independent assurance board and officer-led programme management structures.
Cllr David Sawyer (Lib Dem, De Parys) told the meeting there was “a danger of confusion” around the council’s various improvement, savings and efficiency plans, and sought clarity on how the governance arrangements operate in practice.
He questioned which bodies were responsible for what, and whether some boards were effectively “the same entity”. He also raised concern that the level of detail available to officers might “not necessarily appear for members”.
Jonathan James, the council’s improvement plan project manager, said the reporting structure was designed to allow councillors and officers to trace issues over time.
This included, “how long did it stay red for, what action plan was put in place, [and] when was it first highlighted.”
The report to the committee showed that the system relies on logs and highlight reports to monitor delivery and risk.
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It also contained a detailed risk register flagging concerns, including political disagreement, unclear ownership of actions, and fragmented governance, which could potentially slow progress.
Separate improvement plan for adult social care
The scrutiny of governance comes just days after the council said it would continue with an improvement plan following its Care Quality Commission adult social care assessment.
As reported by the Bedford Independent this morning, the CQC rated Bedford Borough Council as Requires Improvement overall.
The watchdog found that while many staff were compassionate, person-centred and knowledgeable, people were too often waiting too long for assessments, care planning and reviews.
It also identified safeguarding delays, weak oversight in key areas and mostly negative feedback from unpaid carers.
The lowest scores in the report were in assessing needs, safeguarding, and governance, management and sustainability.
The CQC, however, acknowledged some positives.
It found examples of strengths-based practice, culturally appropriate services, and positive partnership working.
It also noted that at the time of the visit, the council was already transforming services and was trying to improve its data use to better understand performance.
Portfolio holder “disappointed”
In response to the CQC findings, Bedford Borough Council said it would implement an improvement plan, with delivery monitored by external partners and the council’s leadership and scrutiny committee.
Cllr Robert Rigby (Conservative, Bromham), portfolio holder for Valuing Families: Adult Services, said: “Whilst we are disappointed with the outcome of the assurance process, we are focused on the future and delivering our improvement plan.
“I am confident that we will be able to act on the concerns raised in the report. I am very proud of the work that our teams do and the support they provide for our residents, and those residents can be assured of getting the best possible care.”
Kate Walker, Executive Director for Adult Services, added, “I can promise all of our residents that we are already working to transform our services and improve.
“I am very pleased that the skills and dedication of our staff has been recognised, and that we work in a person-centred way to help people stay independent.
“We will be engaging with our partners and with the Department of Health and Social Care as we continue with our improvement journey.”
The council said it would work with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Local Government Association, and other partners on the adult social care improvement plan and would report regularly on progress.
Wider pressure
The overlap between the two discussions is significant.
The council’s broader corporate improvement plan is central to its attempts to stabilise finances and improve governance at a time of wider scrutiny, while the adult social care improvement plan responds to a major external inspection that found important parts of the service were not working well enough.
That adult social care report also came amid rising demand and financial pressure. Bedford Borough Council overspent its total budget in 2024/25 by £15.2 million, while almost a quarter of all council spending, 24.44 per cent, went on adult social care.
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The authority also raised the full 2 per cent adult social care precept that year.
The scale of demand is significant. In 2023/24, around 2,775 people in Bedford Borough were receiving long-term adult social care support, with a further 460 receiving short-term help.
The report notes that care packages can vary widely in cost and complexity, further straining already stretched services.
The Care Quality Commission said this was the first time local authorities had been assessed in this way against their Care Act duties. Bedford Borough Council’s assessment began in April 2025, with a site visit in September.
Bedford Borough Council is now facing challenges in showing it can improve and in clearly demonstrating who is accountable for making that happen.
Additional reporting by John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
