Council 'best at standing up for residents'
More people in Wandsworth think their local council is doing a good job in promoting their interests than anywhere else in the country, according to local government watchdog the Audit Commission.
The commission reported that "70 per cent of residents agree that Wandsworth Council promotes the interests of local people - the highest in the country". The commission also found that the council was the best in the country for the way it responds to complaints. Its inspectors said:
Learning from complaints is very good. The complaints procedure is well publicised and accessible. Satisfaction with complaints handling is...the highest in England.
The findings are contained in the latest in a series of health checks on the council and its services by the watchdog.
This assessment found that "Wandsworth is performing strongly. It is a business-like and consistently high-performing council. Its long-term focus is on delivering high quality, top quartile services across the board at low cost. It is very successful at this.
The council with its partners has clear and challenging ambitions to build on its current achievements to make the area an even better place to live. These include continuing improvements in education, health, social care and housing alongside making the area safer, improving the environment and building a prosperous and vibrant community.
Council leader Edward Lister said:
This is the latest in a long line of corporate health checks that have given the council a perfect bill of health. No other council in the country has come close to matching our achievements in so many areas.
You can read the Audit Commission's report at www.audit-commission.gov.uk