Cheshire East Council has been served with a warning notice by Ministers who say they have “concerns” over how the authority is being run.
The “Best Value Notice” was issued today by Jim McMahon, Minister for Local Government and Devolution.
Mr McMahon MP said: “It’s formal notification that this department has concerns about an authority, and is a request that it engages with the department to provide reassurances of improvement.
“We expect that Cheshire East will now do that.
“Where authorities demonstrate that they may not be working as effectively as they can, the dept will proactively take steps to both highlight and seek rectification of concerns.”
The “notice” issued to CEC highlights concerns around “leadership capacity, governance, scrutiny and culture identified by the CPC and CIPFA reports”.
A letter has been sent to all MPs in Cheshire East calling on them to “ensure that the improvement journey at Cheshire East continues”.
Cash-strapped Cheshire East has faced huge financial problems over the past 12 months, with many fearing it will go bankrupt.
It’s also faced heavy criticism for a number of controversial decisions which have seen services cut or axed, and council tax and other charges such as parking go up.
Alphra Brandeth, MP for Chester South and Eddisbury, said: “Today I received an official letter from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, confirming that a Best Value Notice has been issued to Cheshire East Council.
“This notice highlights serious concerns about how the council is being run and calls for urgent improvement.
“A Best Value Notice is a formal warning that the council is not delivering value for money or operating as effectively as it should be.
“It’s a clear signal that local people deserve better.
“I am working closely with Conservative Cheshire East Councillors to hold this Labour-led coalition council to account.
“This notice underlines the ongoing issues of poor governance under their leadership.
“Local people deserve competent, value-for-money leadership—and we will continue to scrutinise and challenge to ensure that happens.
“It’s time for Cheshire East to step up and deliver the effective services and leadership our communities deserve.”
Crewe & Nantwich Labour MP Connor Naismith said: “It’s clear to everyone that Cheshire East is in a difficult financial position and I’m pleased to see the UK government taking a strong interest in this, ensuring that the council is as efficient as possible and that residents are getting value for money.
“Councils like Cheshire East are struggling following years of austerity under successive Conservative governments, alongside a rise in demand for statutory services like social care and children’s services.
“The new government has committed to resetting the relationship with local government and putting it on a secure financial footing.
“While the government has been clear that there is currently no indication that the council is in breach of Best Value principles, it is important that all necessary steps are taken to put the council in a better position.
“I will be liaising with the council to ensure that any recommendations are actioned as a matter of urgency so that we can deliver the best possible services for residents.”
Rob Polkinghorne, chief executive of Cheshire East Council, said: “While the government recognises the steps we are already taking, it requires further assurance of our ongoing improvement and work towards financial sustainability.
“The letter states that the council is expected to continue leading its own improvement and is requested to engage with the department to provide assurance of progress and respond to the expectations set out in the Notice which are areas we are already aware of and working hard to address.
“We have made significant progress in the last year with a shared understanding of the challenges and putting the building blocks in place for sustainable improvement including the transformation plan, new Cheshire East plan, budget and Medium-Term Financial Strategy albeit with the need for Exceptional Financial Support.”
Leader of the council Cllr Nick Mannion and Deputy Leader Cllr Michael Gorman added: “We are confident in our transformation and improvement plans – while we have set ourselves a challenging agenda, we are making good progress.
“This is reflected in the report from the Local Government Association (LGA) Peer Challenge revisit which we are also able to share today.
“The report acknowledges the council has delivered against key aspects of their recommendations, while recognising that we know ourselves and the improvements we still need to make.
“The LGA stated ‘…it is clear that there is a significant appetite and energy for reform from senior political and managerial leaders in the organisation, and that this is linked to a wider ambition for improvement’.
“Ofsted, in their recent monitoring visit report, also recognised positive improvement, stating ‘There are now robust governance arrangements in place to support oversight of progress in accordance with the revised improvement plan. Political support for the new senior leadership team is strong, and the children’s services budget has been aligned to the new strategic priorities across the service. This investment has resulted in strengthened capacity across the service at a senior and frontline level.’
“We must build on this momentum. Continuing to drive improvements, delivering what we have committed to, and supporting each other to deliver at the required pace is critical.”
Mr Polkinghorne added: “We set up our independently chaired assurance panel in August 2024, to support and guide our transformation and improvement activity as part of the sector led improvement offer from the LGA.
“Work with the panel will be strengthened to ensure we continue to improve.
“We will also continue to report on our progress to councillors through committees including Finance Sub and Corporate Policy Committees in June and Full Council.”
You can read the full “Best Value Notice” on the Gov.uk website here
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