Council earns top 'value for money' rating for second year running

5.18.40pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 3rd Feb 2008

• FOR the second successive year the Government's spending watchdog has named Richmond Council among the best authorities in the country for providing value for money.

In an Audit Commission report published this week on how the Council manages finances on behalf of local people, the borough scored the maximum four-out-of-four for value for money. The authority was also judged to be performing well in other key areas such as financial reporting and internal control. Commenting on the judgement, Cllr Stephen Knight, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Resources on Richmond Council, said: "I am very pleased with this latest recognition from the Audit Commission. While we continue to be the worst funded council in London and one of the worst funded in the country, we work very hard to deliver quality services that represent value for money. Statistics now show that local government is the most efficient area of the public sector and Richmond upon Thames is among the most efficient councils in local government - less than 10 % of over 400 nationwide scored the maximum four out of four - it really is time we started to get recognition for this instead of the lousy deal the government gives people in our borough.

"Every year the Government's grant settlement presents us with a fresh financial challenge - this year is no different - in fact we have just received the worst settlement in many years. In early January I went with the leader of the council and our two MPs to see the Minister for Local Government to ask for a fairer deal for Richmond council tax payers. We have to keep spending per head of population at one of the lowest levels in the country but through good management we protect our key services and continue to invest in priority areas. But something has to change. We are playing our part but we can not go on producing more and more with less and less. Once again we have proved our competence - we need a fairer deal for local people from the government - Minister are you listening to us?"