East Dunbartonshire Council advised to improve financial management

East Dunbartonshire Council has been told by the Accounts Commission that it must ‘up its games’ after an audit highlighted concerns over the council's ability to make necessary savings.

The audit outlined that problems identified at the council in two previous reports had not been addressed.

The news comes after East Dunbartonshire has agreed a ‘transformation programme’ aimed at making savings and changing the way it delivers services. However the audit revealed that much of the programme remains behind schedule and poses a threat to the council's ability to achieve £27.6 million in savings over the next three years.

The report maintained that while improvements have been made in financial management, there are concerns about the range of skills and experience in the financial team.

East Dunbartonshire is now looking at sharing services with neighbouring councils but it is not yet clear what savings will result.

Douglas Sinclair, Accounts Commission chairman said: "All councils face future funding gaps and are having to make radical changes in how services are provided.

"East Dunbartonshire needs to significantly up its game to deliver on its ambitions."

Responding to the comment, Rhondda Geekie, council leader, argued: “Local government has faced unprecedented and relentless budget cuts in recent years, and no-one can deny the challenging financial environment we all face.

"Our transformation programme was agreed by this council to ensure that we identified and delivered every possible saving.”

She added: ”We acknowledge that there are areas for further improvement across our organisation and whilst I look forward to our meeting with the Accounts Commission to discuss the best value audit findings, I think it is important that we consider the wider findings and not focus only on the more negative highlights."