Bracknell

Residents of the Bracknell borough enjoy some of the best council services in the country, according to a new government assessment which looks at local authorities across England.

Bracknell Forest Council is 'performing well' according to the Organisation Assessment (OA) report, which gives the authority a three out of four rating in managing performance.

The Bracknell report says: "overall services to the public are good with many being amongst the best in the country . . . the council delivers good outcomes for most of its priority services and it continues to improve its performance in areas important to local people."

The report, part of the Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) which aims to show how well the local area serves its residents, says the proportion of local people who are satisfied with the council is 49.9 per cent, above the national average of 45.4 per cent.

The Audit Commision, one of the inspectorates involved in the CAA, says Bracknell Forest Council provides good quality services that are important to residents. These include services for children and young people, adult social care, keeping streets and open spaces clean and free of litter and quickly removing abandoned cars, fly-tipping and graffiti.

In the same report the council scores two out of four for managing resources, which means it manages its finances effectively. Service levels are better than average and costs are low.

Cllr Paul Bettison, leader of Bracknell Forest Council, said: "This council always set and achieved high standards under the former Comprehensive Performance Assessment star ratings system.

"So it’s encouraging that we continue to deliver high levels of service according to the new assessment system. It’s a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all council employees.

"We’re pleased with our overall organisational assessment of performance and despite the continuing financial contstraints imposed on us by central government we aim to carry on achieving high standards of service.

"Central government is imposing increasing tasks and duties on us but is reducing the amount of money it gives us to carry out those duties. Discretionary services will continue to be hit by the recession as we face falling incomes from leisure facilities and planning receipts."

The CAA is about public accountability with the assessments combining the views of six independent inspectorates to create a single snapshot of an area.

The CAA consists of two elements: an Area Assessment (AA) and an Organisational Assessment. The OA is different from the previous Comprehensive Performance Assessment with its star rating, so the scores are not comparable.

The OA puts more emphasis on whether organisations are using their resources effectively and assesses how well they are managing performance.

The AA is assessed over three themes set out in the Sustainable Community Strategy: cohesive communities; desirable place and thriving population.

Bracknell Forest Council