The first element is the Council’s own Organisational Assessment which focuses on how well we deliver services and manage our resources (people, money, buildings etc).

Our results are very positive for this part of the assessment with a score of 3 out of 4 for ‘managing performance’ and 2 out of 4 for ‘use of resources’. This means the Audit Commission has judged we are performing well overall and are making good progress against our priorities. This is the best result in West Yorkshire for this part of the assessment.

Our report on the Organisational Assessment says the Council:

• Has a strong desire to continue to improve
• Has strong and effective political and managerial leadership
• Is managing finances well
• Is keeping neighbourhoods cleaner
• Is responding decisively to the economic recession – supporting business and families
• Is promoting healthier lifestyles – increasing the number of people who are physically active
• Is working well in partnership with other organisations
• Is ensuring vulnerable children are looked after well
• Is working well with other sectors to improve life for vulnerable adults
• Has met the recycling target a year early 

The report also highlights areas for improvement which include: 

• More partnership working to make an even bigger difference
• Improving how we marshal resources with those of our partners and making sure we have the right resources to deliver projects
• Giving clearer messages to staff on the importance of environmental issues
• Building capacity in the organisation through better project management, workforce development, reducing sickness etc
• Using internal expertise to better support the Local Strategic Partnership in making a difference 

Overall our results are:

Organisational Assessment Reports

• A copy of the summary version of the organisational assessment report can be downloaded via 'Related Downloads'
• A more detailed version of the organisational assessment report can be downloaded via 'Related Downloads' 

Three other partners from Wakefield Together – the Police, Fire & Rescue and NHS Wakefield - have also received organisational assessment reports. These can be found on the Audit Commission’s website:   http://oneplace.audit-commission.gov.uk/Pages/default.aspx.