Best Value Notice
A Best Value Notice was issued to Bradford Council by the Government on the 29 February 2024. This follows the confirmation that Government are minded to agree, in full, Bradford Council’s request for Exceptional Financial Support. The Council’s request for Exceptional Financial Support is for £80 million in 2023-24, and £140 million for 2024-25.
A best value notice is a formal but non-statutory request for the Council to engage with the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities to provide assurance of improvement.
This notice sets out the expectations on the Council under the Best Value Standards and follows an independent review of council finances which was conducted in August/September 2023 by CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy) which made a series of recommendations many of which the council is addressing.The Best Value Notice acknowledges the steps the Council has already taken to identify the serious financial challenges it faces, and the efforts it has made to work with the Government to find a solution.
The Notice sets out what this assurance needs to evidence, which includes addressing areas of concern in the CIPFA review.
The expectation set out in the notice is that there is an independent, expert panel set up to monitor and support the delivery of the CIPFA recommendations. This is expected to include among other matters:
- a review of financial governance and spending controls and oversight
- improved relationships between the Council and BCFT (Bradford Children and Families Trust)
- additional support to Statutory Officers
- wider support for transformation and other central services within the council
- supporting the Council in the production of an improvement and transformation plan
The key document you can look at is: