WORKING relationships and attitudes between Waverley borough councillors and officers need improving, an independent report has found.

Cratus Communications management consultants were commissioned by Waverley to undertake a strategic review with recommendations on how the borough council could develop a “more ambitious” strategic vision and improve its working practices.

The review found “attitudes and working relationships between members and officers was not always as it should be” and there was “insufficient dialogue” between elected members and office leadership teams.

“This results in a feeling of mistrust on both sides, some confrontational experiences and a feeling officers are inappropriately blocking implementation of member decisions,” the review found. “The failure as yet to appoint to the new scrutiny post, which was agreed by the executive, in July 2016, and with no interim solution in place, is perceived – rightly or wrongly – as officers blocking member decisions.”

The review noted several elected members were concerned planning services and human resources departments were finding it hard to cope with the increased workload due to recent losses of experienced staff.

Waverley’s executive was asked at its meeting last Tuesday to consider the findings and members agreed to recommend the proposed action plan to next week’s full council. Four key priorities identified as:–

• Directors heading Waverley’s service areas should lead a programme of “cultural change” with a focus on strategic rather than operational matters

• The council’s strategic ambitions should focus more on place-shaping, economic development and income generation

• The council should develop a new medium-term economic strategy and a series of town centre master plans

• The council should strengthen its partnerships for the benefit of residents.

Waverley’s Consevative leader councillor Julia Potts, who chairs the executive, said: “This is a detailed action plan with a number of recommendations.

“One of the major influences is cultural change and I am very keen we embrace that.

“This is ultimately for the good of residents who we are here to serve.”

Conservative councillor Jim Edwards (Haslemere) said: “This is something we have needed for a long time. The review has identified areas we need to improve.

“It’s a dynamic process. What has been addressed are a lot of concerns that residents have raised over the past few years.”