In 2008, Stockton Council was assessed as performing strongly in its use of resources, scoring 4 out of 4 overall and 4 for the value for money theme, which increased from a score of 3 in 2006.
Stockton had developed a strong value for money culture which helped it in making service improvements at a time when, like most councils, it faced limited resources and increased demand for its services. Importantly it maintained a strong focus on customer need and this drove its priorities and ensured clear direction. The council's organisational development programme encouraged innovation and in particular out of silo working. Value for money is one of the defined competencies.
The financial framework was successful in driving efficiency and supporting robust challenge and there was a clear link between spend and performance. A development fund enabled innovation and supported work with other local strategic partnership partners. For example, Stockton has set up a partnership with Darlington to deliver support services and increase its capacity and skills generally. Savings of over £4 million were planned in the ten-year period from 2008.
Stockton believed its strong culture for delivering value for money was supported by the use of resources assessment which helped to raise the profile of value for money and coordinate resources to deliver its priorities. Stockton also sought examples of good practice from its auditor to inform its value for money reviews.