City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council: External assurance review

Undertake a comprehensive programme of organisational and cultural development, linked to the development of the new council plan, to set out a clear, outcome-based vision behind which the whole organisation can be motivated to deliver.

Linked to the development of the council plan, prioritise improvement activity to ensure that delivery is focused on areas of greatest significance and potential impact.

Focus organisational development on the transitional activity required to deliver a future/target operating model.

Ensure that the positive steps taken to deliver stronger financial control, including BBERT and the spending panels, continue to promote the positive sharing and solutioning of financial issues and pressures.

Hold those responsible for savings to account and ensure that progress/performance monitoring is suitably robust to enable appropriate intervention when/if in-year slippage does occur.

Continue to promote joint working and the Trust's continued adherence to council financial control processes including its attendance at BBERT. A much closer working relationship has been established between the council's S151 and the Trust's Finance Director. They meet regularly to discuss progress and the Trust is now part of the council's savings programme governance too. The Trust is within £0.1 million of its budget as at January 2025.

Please refer to recommendation 5 above.

Please refer to recommendation 2 above.

Please refer to recommendations 4, 5 and 6 above.

Monitor market conditions/valuation factors and consider contingencies if valuations limit the achievement of council income/asset realisation targets.

Ensure that the Capital programme aligins to council ambition and any future council plan development.

Make sure that both short and long term implications of changes/savings within the capital programme are fully understood and appraised as part of the decision-making/control process.

Appraise the results of the companies' review, identifying both short term (quick wins) and longer term strategic opportunities that it identifies.

Deliver a Bradford-centric offer that provides a demand-driven programme of events occupying a potentially different space to its competitor venues.

Provide clear business case information and briefings for elected members as part of the wider disposals and asset-specific disposal process.

See recommendation 10 above.

Use the Council Plan refresh as an opportunity to set out the council's longer term strategic outcomes and ensure that organisational transformation activity is aligned, suitably timetabled and resourced.

As a CMT, to decide on the next steps with regard to the updating of the council's constitution. To explore the impact and opportunities the updating of the constitution would bring by making the constitution more user friendly and more easily accessible.

Please refer to recommendations 1, 2 and 3 above.

The internal audit plan is now being reviewed on a quarterly basis to ensure there is greater emphasis and focus on council risks. There is an agreed challenge that to be fully effective, there is a need to invest in Internal Audit staff to undertake some of the more significant reviews.

Noting that Bradford's position as England's fifth most income-deprived area affects its capacity to generate increased income from charges, it should identify and explore potential opportunities to invest in preventive strategies.

Ensure that the culture of staff being open and challenging continues and becomes embedded into the psyche of the organisation. As important as delivering changes of this nature is an appetite by senior management to measure it from time to time to ensure that change is being delivered.