The deteriorating relationship between councillors and staff at Brentwood Borough Council is having a ‘serious destabilising effect’ on the council, according to a peer review.
The review, conducted by the Local Government Association, found that while there have been some improvements since the last review back in 2011, there remains several areas of concern.
It found that council staff are spending a ‘disproportionate’ amount of time responding to member enquiries, including the continual challenge over the same request from different members. It said the high volume of member enquiries was being accompanied by ‘inappropriate member behaviour’, making partnership working difficult for the council.
The review said: ‘We believe these issues have deteriorated since the last peer review and have not been properly addressed though we acknowledge attempts have been made to rectify the situation.
‘They are having a serious destabilising effect of the working of the council. We believe the council’s managers and staff cannot continue to work to deliver Corporate Plan key priorities and other agreed activity, and respond to the scale of enquiries from members. Staff cannot be expected to continue to work in such an environment.’
However, the review did give the council’s finances a ‘clean bill of health’ saying planned efficiencies are being delivered successfully. It said the council is exploring new funding streams, such as taking a more commercial approach to its assets.
Alison Crowe, managing director of Brentwood Borough Council, said: ‘The report is encouraging in areas as it endorses all the hard work put in by officers and members over the last few years to improve our finances and transform into a more modern council. Clearly there are significant challenges both officers and members will need to work together to address over the coming months.’
