Inverclyde Council has made ‘significant improvements’ in its financial management and service delivery, auditors find.

The Accounts Commission has charted the council’s progress since 2005 when they found serious failings by the authority in meeting its legal duty to demonstrate Best Value and continuous improvement.

This report, prepared by Audit Scotland, is the first of the new Best Value Assurance Reports (BVAR) designed to offer a comprehensive and detailed analysis of performance.

All 32 councils will have a BVAR report at least every five years and all will still continue to be the subject of an annual audit report and accounts.

The report noted the council had ‘changed significantly’ by developing a positive culture of improvement and having an effective collaborative leadership with a ‘clear vision’.

The council demonstrated good joint working with partners, the report said. However, more clarity was needed on how this makes a difference to outcomes.

Audit Scotland described Inverclyde’s financial management as ‘effective’, pointing to proposals that have already been worked up for councillors to yield savings of around £20m.

The authority has has also been innovative in finding different ways of delivering services and involving local communities in reaching decisions.

‘Inverclyde has made real improvements and is doing well in many areas. However, the council still faces big challenges and needs to maintain this positive momentum,’ said Ronnie Hinds, acting chair of the commission.

‘These new reports will give local people a detailed and rounded insight into how their council is performing. We hope this provides each council with an important foundation to help shape and improve services for the future.’