Audit Commission

Thurrock Council's work on regeneration is 'fair', but has 'uncertain prospects for improvement' according to a new report released today by the independent Audit Commission.

On a scale from zero to three stars the Audit Commission inspection team gave the service a 'fair' one-star rating because although the Council has contributed to the economic regeneration of Thurrock, a lot remains to be done.

Audit Commission senior manager Ian Davidson said:

'After a slow start, Thurrock Council is now getting to grips with the deep-seated local economic problems facing the borough. It has built a better relationship with key players in local regeneration. It is making a more visible contribution to growth, helping to attract some key investments. It has played a part in major projects, such as the new port facility and the new Royal Opera House workshop site. Important local barriers to future growth, such as poor skills and educational achievements, and the lack of an overall planning framework, are now being tackled. But some real challenges lie ahead. To address these successfully, the Council must play a bigger role in enabling and embedding local growth, especially in partnership.'

Strengths include:

• Thurrock Council has recognised the importance of its role in local regeneration, including in the Thames Gateway.
• It has helped lay the groundwork for 12 major regeneration projects across the borough, and contributed to other plans to successfully meet local targets for new homes and jobs.
• It is working with partners to remove local barriers to economic growth, such as low skills, attainment and aspiration. There are recent signs of some progress from a low base.
• It has developed a more influential role sub-regionally, successfully leading efforts to secure external investment for programmes that will assist sustainable growth, such as the Low Carbon Economy Programme.

Weaknesses include:

• The Council has not made the most of its working partnership with the local Development Corporation. Relationships at a strategic level have improved recently, but more needs to be done on the ground, particularly around information sharing and technical input.
• The Council is not making best use of its own property in support of regeneration.
• Recent improvements in the Council's approach to regeneration have still not fully bedded in. The signs are positive, but key strategies have yet to get off the drawing board and there are no effective processes for assessing and managing value for money.

Recommendations include:

• Defining more clearly what specific benefits the Council and its partners want to achieve for local people through regeneration.
• Developing a robust approach to the management of costs, assets and performance, including local strategic partners.
• Planning for a future where government funding is increasingly scarce.

Copies of the report are available from Thurrock Council or from the Audit Commission website at www.audit-commission.gov.uk

Notes to editors

1. Regeneration is about improving the lives of people and the places in which they live. It is a complex subject - for example access to work is controlled by people's aspirations, skills and social networks, as well as by transport and jobs on offer. For councils and their partners regeneration is about intervening to stop a spiral of decline in deprived areas, removing barriers to growth and balancing physical, economic and social progress.
2. The Audit Commission and the Council agreed that this regeneration inspection should focus on economic aspects and the contribution of Thurrock Council to the wider regeneration efforts underway locally. But it also took into account the social and physical aspects of regeneration, the impact of economic regeneration plans for the Thames Gateway, and the continuing impact of the recession.
   The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
3. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
4. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people.

Further details about the role of the Audit Commission can be obtained from www.audit-commission.gov.uk.

For more information, or a copy of the report, contact Eric Ludlow on 0844 798 4183.