Fife Council praised for ‘best value’ leadership in annual audit

The standards, audit and risk committee reviewed the council’s annual 'Best Value' report on Thursday morning, and the overall message was positive: Fife Council is providing best value leadership.

“We are satisfied that the council has appropriate arrangements in place to demonstrate Best Value under each reported area of the 2022/23 thematic review,” the external auditor’s report said.

For the sake of the audit, best value was defined as the delivery of continuous improvement in the performance of all the council’s functions and activities.

Azets, the accountancy and business advisory firm appointed by Audit Scotland as the external auditor was in charge of the review. It used a red, orange, yellow, green scoring system and gave the council the green light across three out of five areas of leadership. The council received a yellow scoring in the other two areas.

Auditors concluded: “Fife Council and its community planning partners have a clear strategic ambition. The overall vision is for ‘A Fairer Fife.’”

The audit continued: “The council’s methods for consulting and involving citizens are appropriate and effective; and its priorities have a focus on the need to reduce inequalities.

“The council has in place an appropriate governance framework in place to support member/officer relationships. Member and officer working relationships are effective.”

The audit highlighted that councils are operating in “a complex and increasingly volatile, unprecedented and unpredictable environment.”

The report quoted that strong leadership from councils is needed now more than ever with councillors able and willing to make difficult decisions about where and how to spend pressurised resources.

Despite major political changes, auditors concluded that Fife Council has committed to its visions and priorities in the past year.

“The local government elections held in May 2022 resulted in the re-appointment of 42 councillors and the appointment of 33 new councillors. The elections also led to a change in council leadership from joint administration to a minority administration with Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative councillors voting together to agree a governance structure,” the audit said.

“Despite changes in political arrangements following the local government elections in 2022 and the appointment of a new chief executive in July 2023, the council has committed to the vision, priorities and ambitions as set out in the Plan4Fife.”

Committee members scrutinised the audit and asked questions about the methods and themes of the report on Thursday.