The Audit Scotland: Best Value Thematic report considered the effectiveness of the leadership of the council’s strategic priorities as part of a Scotland-wide approach of Best Value (BV) audit requirements.

And auditors noted: The council has a clear ambitious vision as detailed in the Plan for North Lanarkshire which has been driven by effective leadership.

Councillor Sandy Watson, Convener of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel, said: “The report found that this council has an ambitious vision, which has been driven by effective leadership and is supported by a range of performance indicators and reporting arrangements.  

“Auditors highlighted the positive way in which the council engages with communities and of our clear commitment to reducing inequalities and tackling poverty.” 

Councillor Jim Logue, Leader of North Lanarkshire Council, added: “We have a clear vision to improve North Lanarkshire for all our residents and this report clearly agrees that we have a strong desire to bring about regeneration and improve the economic landscape for communities across the area.

“We are determined to build on our achievements to date and deliver our goals of reducing child poverty, tackling climate change and improving the life chances of everyone who lives here.”

The key findings of the external auditors work on Best Value were:

• The council has a clear ambitious vision as detailed in the Plan for North Lanarkshire driven by effective leadership. The Programme of Work is reviewed annually by members and the Strategic Leadership Board. A fundamental review in 2022/23 led to a new refreshed Programme of Work to 2028 which details the council’s priorities in achieving its vision and approved strategies.
• Community empowerment and participation is a key priority of the council. Community boards have an important role in supporting the council in achieving its priorities through the Local Outcome Improvement plans. This is particularly important given the council's emphasis on a place-based approach to its vision.
• The council is clearly committed to reducing inequalities and tackling poverty and is proactive in engaging with a wide range of communities and equalities groups.
• Climate change is an area of increasing focus for the council. There are plans to develop the Climate Plan further by producing a detailed climate action plan and the council are developing a planned route map to 2030.
• Sitting alongside the Programme of Work, the council has a Strategic Policy Framework in place which ensures the council’s strategies, policies and plans remain aligned to its vision and support its shared ambition. This framework details elected member and officer responsibilities for strategic planning and includes details of elected member approval of individual strategies, policies and plans.
• The council has a well-developed medium-term financial plan which helps ensure resources are aligned to its key priorities as outlined in The Plan for North Lanarkshire and that the projects in the Programme of Work are affordable.
• The council has seen a lot of change at the political level since the local elections in 2022. Despite this level of change, there is collaborative working between members and with members and officers. The council has several cross-party working groups and there remains agreement and cross-party support for significant initiatives.

Finally, the report highlights the alignment of strategic and operational delivery plans with the council’s financial, asset and digital plans, the collaborative working between members and officers and the organisation’s approach to self-evaluation which supports continuous improvement.

The document contains a small number of audit recommendations and responses, including planned actions, which have been agreed by management.