The Audit Commission has published its report on Council performance.

Of those improving strongly -

42% are Tory,

33% Labour,

17% No Overall Control

0% are Lib Dem.

In Southampton we are still a three star compared to the Conservative run Hampshire which is four star, and which also has lower council tax.

My personal view of the CPA which claims ‘is about helping local councils improve services for their communities' is about what government wants not what local residents wish to see the council do. The amount of time that the council puts in to this and the money that is spent would be better spent on the city.

Southampton improved in the Environment sector but went backwards in Benefits and Culture according to the CPA. We are told Education is improving yet Southampton is in the bottom quarter year on year, which is totally unacceptable.

Roy Perry a Hampshire County Councillor has done a very interesting analysis on Council tax and services that Hampshire provide.

I have attached what he sent out

Our political aim as a Conservative authority is to be in the top Quartile of counties for Service and the bottom quartile for council tax

We were 6th from bottom in the Council tax of all counties (37) and 5th from bottom for comparable counties with Combined Fire Authorities (21 in total)

So the objective of top quartile for service and bottom quartile for tax level was again achieved

Hampshire has the lowest Council Tax of any County in the South East ( the region that gets the worst deal from Gordon Brown)

To give you some useful statistics for 2007/08

In Hampshire the average Council Tax (HCC,+ District+ Police and Fire) for a BAND D property is £1,301.72

In Southampton the comparable figure is £1,316.25
(think how much more expensive it is to provide services over a vast rural area)

In Test Valley that figure is (using an average for 1,270.46)

In Eastleigh (Lib Dem) that figure is £1311.00 (ie above average)

For Test Valley the Band D District Council tax excluding parishes is £108.45 i.e. 2nd lowest in the County

Basingstoke is the lowest at £96.75, Test Valley 2nd lowest Eastleigh is the 3rd lowest on that list at £114.22 but goes up significantly when they add in their town tax in the centre of Eastleigh + the Parishes- then it goes up to £173.94 whereas the comparable figure in Test Valley is £133.40

On the District list including parish and town council average Test Valley Council Tax is the 3 lowest- only Fareham and Basingstroke are lower. Eastleigh is 6th highest
i.e. for a Band D property Test Valley is £40 a year cheaper than Lib Dem Eastleigh- for Bands G and H the saving is significantly greater. I will try to get those figures

(source Hampshire County Treasurer)