MONMOUTHSHIRE Council is “ambitious” and “well-run”, according to a panel of experts who have reviewed its operations.

The panel of peers, chaired by a former local authority chief executive, concluded the local authority “is an ambitious, well-run council with communities at its heart and a reach that transcends boundaries.”

But the panel also told the council to prioritise “major opportunities to deliver better outcomes for residents at lower costs” as well as strengthening work with communities to understand what differences the council, and partner bodies, can make and to complete the development of its workforce and succession planning.

Monmouthshire’s ruling cabinet of Labour and Green Party councillors will be asked to endorse a draft response at its Wednesday, May 20 meeting.

The panel was chaired by Bev Smith, former chief executive at Nottinghamshire and North West Leicestershire, who is also a former chair of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru and current Local Boundary Commission for England chair

The other members were former Carmarthenshire council leader Darren Price and Louise Davies, director of community services for Rhondda Cynon Taf council, while former London borough of Barking and Dagenham chief executive, Chris Naylor, represented the wider public.

The scope of the panel’s assessment was set by the cabinet.

It had to consider how well the council performs across services to deliver the objectives of its county plan, opportunities to develop its person-centred approach to working with communities, local businesses and other stakeholders, such as town and community councils, and how well it can demonstrate intended outcomes and emerging impacts of the community and corporate plan and how well they are communicated.

Assessment took place from February 24-27 and the panel met with more than 120 people including: a politically balanced group of backbench councillors nominated by group leaders; officers at all tiers of the organisation; volunteers; business leaders; town and community councillors; trade unions; leaders of other public sector organisations and focus groups of local people.