The “significant” budget challenges facing BCP Council will “increase tensions” between pollical groups as the authority attempts to move on from a tumultuous first term.
Chief executive Graham Farrant gave the warning as he admitted cross-party relationships “still need some work”.
However, he said "all the ingredients are in place" to set up a new agenda and significantly improve the council's operations and culture.
The assessment came in a cabinet report by Mr Farrant following the best value notice from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and a critical external assurance review.
Experienced local government official Lesley Seary called on BCP Council to “reset” its culture.
She also raised concerns over the medium-term financial plan and budget. She said at the time of her review before May’s local elections both key items were “unrealistic”, while the transformation programme was “overly ambitious”.
As reported, council leader Vikki Slade said the review and best value notice could be a “line in the sand”.
Cllr Slade and her cabinet colleagues are due to discuss Mr Farrant’s ‘responding to the best value notice’ report at a meeting on Wednesday, September 6.
The chief executive carried out his own internal assurance review, which largely aligned with Ms Seary’s conclusions, in March.
Working with cabinet and the council’s corporate management board (CMB), Mr Farrant has produced a 42-point assurance review action plan.
As of this month, 26 per cent of the actions had already been completed, 43 per cent were progressing well, 24 per cent had been started and there had been no movement on seven per cent of the plan.
The action plan will be updated at CMB every month and brought back to cabinet at “appropriate intervals”.
There are likely to be quarterly update meetings with DLUHC alongside a monthly written update.
Mr Farrant’s cabinet report said: “Overall, it is clear from the assurance reviews that the council needed to significantly improve relationships between councillors and between councillors and officers from where they were prior to March, and governance standards needed to be strengthened, particularly in their implementation.
“The assurance reviews demonstrate that the ingredients are in place for the council to step up to the new agenda and to significantly improve the operations and culture, and both corporate management board and the cabinet are focussed on achieving this.
“Cross-party relationships still need some work, particularly around attendance at group leaders’ meetings and similar, but the change is recognisable.
“However, the budget challenges will be significant and will increase tensions between political groups as the council makes some very difficult decisions to balance the revenue budget for 2024-25.
“Working together, the council can achieve the targets and demonstrate how a new, modern and large unitary council can benefit residents and visitors alike, serving both the local communities and businesses across the BCP area. A new corporate vison will set this out more clearly.”
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