News / Watchdog praises “improving” SIC
SHETLAND Islands Council has been given the seal of approval from The Accounts Commission two years after a damning report following an embarrassing public hearing into its affairs.
However the public finance watchdog warns that Scotland’s wealthiest local authority faces a tough future as it tries to cut spending by around 20 per cent over two years.
In his follow-up report published on Thursday, Accounts Commission chairman John Baillie urged the newly elected council’s to keep up its determination to tackle “long-standing problems”.
Following the June 2010 public hearing in Lerwick Town Hall, Baillie described the SIC as poorly led and badly divided with a haphazard approach to business.
After the hearing, Orkney Islands Council chief executive Alistair Buchan was drafted in for two years to set in motion a major “improvement plan” that restructured management and protocols within the authority.
This week Baillie praised the progress that had been made, highlighting the culture of “continuous improvement”, better relations amongst councillors and with officers and more effective financial and information management.
Baillie was “particularly pleased” that the council had finally agreed to group its accounts with those of the Shetland Charitable Trust, ensuring that for the first time in seven years they have been approved without qualification, a move that has not been unanimously welcomed within the council chamber.
“There has been a real desire to tackle long-standing problems at Shetland Islands Council. I am pleased that this has led to improvements in the way the council is run,” he said.
“It is vital that this positive momentum is maintained as the council faces major challenges to reshape services and continue to deliver for the people of Shetland in the years ahead.”
This latest report effectively puts the SIC back onto a “normal footing”, with progress now being monitored through the annual audit common to all Scottish local authorities. Council convener Malcolm Bell said it marked a significant milestone.
“It is easy to forget how far the SIC has come since the Accounts Commission carried out its two day public hearing back in 2010,” Bell said.
“There are significant challenges ahead, but the report and the commission’s findings are a testament to the hard work of staff and members over the past two years.”
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