HILLINGDON Council has been awarded a two star rating in its latest performance assessment and is recognised as improving well.
The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) was delivered by an independent government commission set up to scrutinise the performance of local authorities across the country.
The report said Hillingdon was improving for the fourth year running and highlighted that the council is continuing to deliver improvements in priority areas, such as educational attainment, children's social care, value for money, and housing and benefits services.
The inspectors also found that the council manages its finances effectively and provides good value for money.
They also commented that "an award winning contact centre has improved access to services" and that the Streets Ahead programme, which involves approximately 4300 local residents as volunteer street champions, is successfully addressing local environmental issues.
The maximum star rating council's can achieve is four stars, with 19 local authorities awarded such a rating this year.
Hugh Dunnachie, chief executive, said: "The inspection shows the improvements we have made through strong and effective management and this report confirms the findings of our residents survey which shows large increases in satisfaction with the council and the services we provide. Our focus remains on improving services for our residents."
The 2008 scores for Hillingdon are:
¥ corporate capacity to improve services 2
¥ use of resources 3
¥ children and young people 3
¥ adult social care arrangements 2
¥ cultural services 2
¥ environment services 3
¥ housing services 4
¥ housing and council tax benefits 4
What do you think? Is the assessment fair? E-mail the gazette at editorialuxbridge@trinitysouth.co.uk or call 01895 451021
