Western Isles Council improves

Western Isles Council has made significant improvements in the way it is run, a public sector watchdog has ruled.

The Accounts Commission said the local authority had responded well to a report two years ago which called for internal reform to be hastened.

Other improvements include a fall in sickness absence and a substantial rise in the proportion of staff receiving annual performance appraisals.

But the body said further progress was needed in other areas, including the way the council evaluates the satisfaction of customers and citizens.

Accounts Commission chair Douglas Sinclair said: “There has been significant improvement and that is very encouraging.

“What it needs to do now is sustain that momentum in the longer term and make the culture of continuous improvement a permanent one.”