Aberdeen City Council Best Value Audit

Speech by Alison McInnes delivered to The Scottish Parliament on Thu 12th Jun 2008

An audit of best value is intended to identify how well a council is performing in relation to best value and community planning. As part of the agenda to modernise local government, it is meant to encourage a culture of continuous improvement and engagement with communities. That whole agenda challenges local government to find new ways of working across services and with other bodies to achieve the best results for citizens and service users.

The scale of that challenge varies from council to council on the basis of historical and cultural styles within each council. As Brian Adam said, the audit was carried out in 2006-07, but the problems that were identified had not appeared overnight. I have no doubt that they were rooted in a culture that was set in place some time ago-a culture that the council has said that it was striving to change.

No one could deny that the audit is a sobering read. Everyone has acknowledged the need for change, and Kate Dean has stated her determination to meet the challenges. Action has already been taken. The council has drafted an improvement plan and has sought outside help from the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Government. John Swinney must respond to that request for assistance. He must step in and help the city financially. The low Government settlement and the council tax freeze this year certainly added to the council's woes at a most unhelpful time.

Historically, Aberdeen City Council has not fared as well as it might have at the hands of local government distribution formulae, but this year its share of funding fell. I am sure that there must be a fairer and more transparent way of allocating resources to local government, so I restate my support for a review of local government funding. The Liberal Democrats want the local government funding formula to be changed. If Aberdeen were funded at the same level per head of population as Dundee, it would have an astonishing £131 million extra to spend every year. If it were funded at the average level of all Scottish councils, it would have nearly £100 million extra. What help can the Government offer in light of that?

The scale of the reaction to the cuts, with protests and representations being made, demonstrates clearly that the services that were provided were valued. With fairer funding, they could continue to be provided. The city council must now work hard to build bridges with community groups and other organisations, and it must explore options for alternative service provision.

There is no getting away from the fact that the audit has said that the budget must be brought back on track. As other members have said, that will not be an easy task, and difficult decisions will have to be taken. All parties must work together through this period. It is no good the Labour Party saying that the finances must be sorted out but then refusing to countenance any changes at all.

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Councillors and senior management must acknowledge both the corporate and the individual responsibility that they carry to bring about the organisational change that is clearly needed. Ministers must try to offer real support. It will take a great deal of determination and resolve, but that is necessary to put the council on a firm footing for the future. The people of Aberdeen deserve that commitment.