Westminster Council delivers excellent value for money for its residents and businesses and has a solid grip on its finances, according to an official report by a local authority spending watchdog.

Despite the challenging economic climate, the Audit Commission praised the council for its careful handling of taxpayers' money and its determination to keep costs down for local residents and businesses.

Charged with driving efficiency in local public services, the commission gave the council top marks for excellence in "commissioning services for local people" and "promoting the values of good governance".

The council was also marked highly for managing its finances and resources, giving it one of the best overall scores in the country.

The report comes as Westminster promises to freeze council tax for the third year running when the new annual bills are delivered in March. This means average council tax for a band D property in Westminster will be held at £687.62 - the second lowest rate in the country.

The commission's report, which was presented at a cabinet meeting on Monday (18th January), says: "The council has demonstrated a number of areas of excellent performance, showing notable and innovative practice."

The commission commended the council for its:

* Understanding of costs and performance and achieving efficiencies.

* Commissioning and procuring of quality services and supplies, tailored to local needs to deliver sustainable outcomes and value for money.

* Promoting and demonstrating the principles and values of good governance.

* Managing risks and maintaining a sound system of internal control.

The commission also said the council needed to strengthen its internal audit controls and improve its IT disaster recovery arrangements. The council said work is being undertaken to bring these areas up to speed.

Commenting on the report, Cllr Melvyn Caplan, Westminster's Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "We are of course pleased that the Audit Commission has endorsed our robust financial management. We place value for money at the heart of all that we do and are always acutely aware that we need to treat taxpayers money as if it were our own.

"This year, however, is going to be one of the toughest on record and like many local authorities up and down the country we are facing a series of unprecedented financial challenges with cuts in central government grants and reduced income from services.

"We remain though resolute in our determination to ensure that we work even harder for the residents and businesses we serve in the city through our unrelenting committee to efficiency and emphasis on doing more for less."

Ends

Notes to editors:

A copy of the Audit Commission's report is available on request.

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