The Audit Commission published on August 16, 2007 its review of
Suffolk Coastal's planning services and concluded that it was a
good two-star service with promising prospects for improvement. The
service under review consisted of development control, planning
enforcement and planning policy (including conservation).
According to the Audit Commission, the strengths included:
- A good range of planning advice is on offer to customers.
- The service is effective in most cases when consulting and
engaging with customers.
- The speed of dealing with all types of planning applications
has improved over the last eighteen months.
- The service provides good value for money in relation to the
quality of service and outcomes it delivers.
The Audit Commission is an independent body responsible for
ensuring that public money is spent economically, efficiently and
effectively, to achieve high-quality local services for the public.
Its remit covers around 11,000 bodies in England, which between
them spend more than £180 billion of public money each year and its
work covers local government, health, housing, community safety and
fire and rescue services.
As an independent watchdog, it provides important information on
the quality of public services. As a driving force for improvement
in those services, it provides practical recommendations and
spreads best practice. As an independent auditor, it ensures that
public services are good value for money and that public money is
properly spent.
Follow these links to see the full
Audit Commission report (new window PDF
173KB) and a copy of the
press release issued by the Audit Commission
(new window PDF 23KB) .
The Council issued its own press release welcoming the report.
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files.