The council has been praised for its money management in its latest audit.
Councillors have welcomed the 'Annual Audit and Inspection Letter,' which was discussed at an Audit Committee on Tuesday.
It was produced by independent auditors working for the Audit Commission, and covered not only the audit of financial statem
ents but also value for money and the conduct of public business.
The report concluded that the council is improving its services in line with its priorities and in those areas which matter to local people, the way the council uses its resources was scored as three out of four, and that the council delivers good value for money.
It also recommended three key areas for the council to take action: to continue to focus attention on the weaker performing services, seeking improvement in performance and costs as part of its commitment to improve value for money; to strengthen its arrangements for financial reporting and internal control; and to continue taking action to reduce the number of staff days lost through sickness.
Council leader Peter Pragnell said: "I think this reflects extremely well on the council, and is a credit to everyone involved.
"We are not complacent, though, and recognise that there are areas where we could do better. We are, of course, happy to accept the auditors' recommendations.
"At a time when public spending is rightly under the microscope, it is extremely heartening to receive such a positive report.
"I was particularly pleased that the independent auditors said that we were improving our services in line with our priorities, and that we deliver good value for money."
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