Greater Manchester councils hit back after being named among the ‘worst local authorities in the country’

A number of councils in Greater Manchester have responded following a list ranking every local authority in the country.

A list from The Times newspaper was compiled using data from the Office for Local Government (Oflog) – which named Nottingham City Council the worst in England and Torridge District Council in Devon the best.

A number of councils in the GM region joined the Local Government Association (LGA) in calling this use of the data “inaccurate” and “bad timing” given that the article was published during a pre-election period – when councils they are limited in what they can answer.

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Manchester Council was the worst ranked authority in the region at 279. Rochdale Council was named the best in the region with a national ranking of 57.

The list used Oflog data and the council’s performance in the waste management sectors; corporate and financial; planning and roads; and social care for adults. The Times’ methodology explained it chose these categories because the council can control output, such as the number of planning applications completed on time.

In a letter written by Councilor Shaun Davies, chairman of the LGA, to Growth Secretary Michael Gove, he said: “I don’t want to be labeled a Cassandra figure, but our warnings about data use and Oflog’s ability to advise and inform media about what the data shows and doesn’t show has happened now. The fact that this happened in the pre-election period, when the ability of councils to respond adequately is limited, made this situation worse.

“While I appreciate that the ranking was compiled by a media organisation, we are very concerned that neither Oflog nor the DLUHC acted quickly to correct the inaccuracies and misleading content.”

Coun Davies went on to list a number of grievances with the list and how the data does not always reflect the council’s performance. He called for an urgent meeting with the Leveling Up department between himself and the LGA vice chairmen to discuss the issues raised.

List of how each council ranked on The Times list:

1. Rochdale: 57th
2. Wigan: 93rd
3. Bolton: 97th place
4. Burial: 119th
5. Oldham: 129th
6. Trafford: 140th
7. Tameside: 153rd
8. Stockport: 174th
9. Salford: 194th
10. Manchester: 297th place

How councils in Greater Manchester reacted

A number of GM boards echoed the message after failing to rank favorably on The Times’ list. When contacted for a response, most GM councils referred the Local Democracy Reporting Service to the statement provided by the LGA.

Here are the responses from some councils who wanted to add additional comments:

Manchester

A Manchester Council spokesman said: “We understand from OFLOG that the data they collected was not intended to be used to make comparisons between local authorities – not least because the differences in spending for some services are often determined by factors beyond our control. of individual councils such as deprivation and demographics.

“It is therefore disappointing to see this rather small set of data – some of which is already out of date – used in this way, particularly when the numbers themselves mean little without any local context and also do not reflect the challenges huge financial challenges faced by councils.

“We are determined to continue to do all we can here in Manchester to provide quality services for our residents and to deliver inclusive growth that benefits everyone in the city.”

Oldham

A spokesman for Oldham Council, said: “The Local Government Association (LGA) has raised concerns with central government about the accuracy of Oflog data, which it says could have led to the Times publishing “inaccuracies and content deceptive”.

“We also have concerns that the metrics used are not up to date. However, we are very aware of the challenges affecting our residents.

“When you compare our funding now to 2010, we lost the equivalent of 56 percent. Cuts from central government, along with cost of living pressures, have hit areas like Oldham the hardest and impacted on Council services.

“We remain committed to improving and delivering value for money for our residents and in some areas we are clearly outperforming local authorities.”

Rochdale

A spokesman for Rochdale Borough Council said: “It is pleasing to be recognized as one of the strongest councils in the country and a testament to our hardworking staff who deliver high quality public services in often challenging circumstances.

“We are proud to serve our neighborhood and will continue to do our best for our amazing residents and businesses.”

Stockport

A spokesman for Stockport Council said: “Along with many other local authorities, we share the Local Government Association’s concerns about the methodology used and caution against using it to compare councils.

“It’s like comparing apples and pears – we need to compare councils with those that are comparable to each other in terms of size, demographics, shortages and responsibilities.

“Alternative metrics, such as peer review of the challenge, provide a more comprehensive assessment. Our recent review highlighted our strong partnership, high performance services and “strong financial position”.

“However, like many councils, we face significant financial challenges due to reduced government funding and rising social care costs, as well as the impact of the cost of living crisis.

“We are committed to addressing these challenges through strong leadership and collaboration with our communities and businesses to provide the best possible service for our residents.”

The Times has been contacted for comment.