Council one of the worst in London

11:19am Thursday 7th February 2008

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HARROW Council is one of the worst in London according to an Audit Commission report published today.

The commission's annual Comprehensive Performance Assessment has awarded the council two out of a possible five stars.

The report highlights the council's slow rate of service improvement, particularly in adult social care and street cleaning.

It also criticises the authority's management of council housing and low public satisfaction with recycling services.

However the council is praised for its delivery of housing benefits and improvements to its services for children and young people.

The rating of two stars, is one of the lowest in London and places the council the bottom 25 per cent of authorities the country.

While three quarters of councils in England and Wales are improving well or strongly, Harrow has dropped down the scale, from improving well in 2005, to improving adequately in 2007.

Councillor Chris Mote, leader of the council, blamed the low rating on "significant financial challenges", but promised to listen to what people want.

He said: "We know that we have a long way to go but there are strong signs of real improvement."

Michael O'Higgins, chairman of the Audit Commission, offered the council advice how it can emulate Hackney Council, which has bounced from one to three stars during the year.

He said: "Where there are challenges, we know the characteristics they need to copy from the highest performers, strong leadership, a skilled management team willing to take tough decisions and an ongoing focus on poorly performing services."