The leadership of Swindon Borough Council is strong and plans are in place to deliver services and better value for money, according to a new report from an independent watchdog.

The Audit Commission released its Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) today (Wednesday) and has given the council a performance rating of 3 (performing well) in its Organisational Assessment. This is a step up from the rating of 2 under the previous Comprehensive Performance Assessment system last year.

The CAA, called Oneplace, is considered to be a harder test for councils. It is a new way of assessing local public services in England and how they work together, providing a snapshot of quality of life.

Cllr Rod Bluh, Leader of Swindon Borough Council, said: “I am thrilled that we have successfully risen to the challenges put before us in the last assessment, which have helped us to storm ahead and become one of the most improved local authorities in the country.

“We recognise that there is still a long way to go and we are confident residents will continue to see positive changes to services in Swindon in the next few years. But you just have to look at the projects we've already delivered to see how far we've come, such as the Radio 1 Big Weekend and a new state-of-the art library, with plans in the pipeline to roll out Wi-Fi across the whole of the borough, and a massive regeneration programme underway.”

Overall, the report said Swindon Borough Council was effective, good at managing money and making savings, and was improving things for local people.

It cited the following general improvements behind the rating:

• Working with local organisations to improve people’s health
• Helping older people remain in their homes
• Reducing crime
• Increasing recycling levels above the national average
• Reducing the effects of the recession on businesses and unemployed people
• Making town centre improvements
• Improving its support to schools and colleges

The report also said the council had shown real leadership in challenging how road safety measures are delivered in the borough.

Gavin Jones, Chief Executive of Swindon Borough Council, said: “This report is testament to the hard work of officers and members who have been relentless in raising standards throughout the organisation and implementing positive ideas and projects for the ultimate benefit of local people.”

Specific improvements were also cited in the report. In Children Services these were:

• Fewer teenagers are becoming pregnant
• Achievement in primary schools is above the national average
• GCSE results are rising and improving at a faster rate than the national average
• Ninety per cent of schools have achieved healthy schools status and this is amongst the highest in the country
• The council and its partners have a strong focus on safeguarding children and young people
• Fewer young people are using drugs and alcohol in a harmful way and drugs education is better than the national average

Cllr Garry Perkins, Cabinet Member for Children Services, said: “This report clearly demonstrates that the quality of life for children and young people in Swindon has improved and that positive steps have been taken to ensure they have a bright future ahead of them.”

The improvements for Health, Housing and Adult Social Care were:

• The council has reduced the number of people in temporary accommodation by more than half and is providing 300 additional affordable home each year
• The council is safeguarding the environment for future generations by creating sustainable developments, including housing
• Good partnership working between the council and the local health services is helping older people receive the support they need to stay independent
• The council is making sure that all people have access to council services and sports activities to help tackle inequality and improve outcomes for people in vulnerable circumstances

Cllr David Renard, Cabinet Member for Health, Housing and Adult Social Care: “I welcome the report’s findings that Swindon Borough Council and its health and social care partners are giving good support to the most vulnerable people in our community.

“Everyone is working hard to serve an increasing number of people with more complex needs during very challenging times and I would like to put on record my thanks to all those providing these services on a daily basis.”

However, the report also said the council needed to concentrate on tackling anti-social behaviour, obesity in children, helping people to feel they belong in their neighbourhood, increasing the availability of rented affordable housing, raising educational standards further and improving the cleanliness of streets further.

There are two parts to the CAA report – an Organisational Assessment which looks at how well individual organisations are delivering, and an Area Assessment which focuses on how well agencies are working together.

Both reports can be viewed in full online at the Direct.Gov website (www.direct.gov.uk/oneplace).