By George Lythgoe

A number of Greater Manchester councils - including Stockport - have hit back following a list ranking each local authority in the country.

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

Stockport, along with a number of other councils in the GM region, has joined the Local Government Association (LGA) in blasting this use of data as 'inaccurate' and 'ill-timed' considering the article was released during a pre-election period – when councils are limited in what they can respond with.

The list used Oflog data and council performance in the sectors of waste management; corporate and finance; planning and roads; and adult social care. The Times' methodology explained that it chose these categories as the council can control the outcome, such as the number of planning applications completed on time.

Manchester Council came out the worst ranked authority in the region in a position of 279th. Rochdale Council was dubbed the best in the region with a national ranking of 57th. (Image - Alasdair Perry)

In a letter penned by Cllr Shaun Davies, chair of the LGA, to Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove, he said: "I do not want to be labelled as a Cassandra figure, but our warnings about the use of data and Oflog's ability to advise and brief the media about what the data does and doesn't show have now come to pass. The fact that this happened during the pre-election period when the ability for councils to adequately respond is curtailed has made this situation worse.

"While I appreciate that the league table was compiled by a media organisation, we are very concerned that neither Oflog, nor DLUHC, stepped in swiftly to correct inaccuracies and misleading content."

Cllr Davies went on to list a number of grievances with the list and how data does not always reflect council performance. He demanded an urgent meeting with the Levelling Up department between him and the LGA Vice-Chairs, to discuss the matters raised.

List of how each GM council ranked on The Times' list:

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

(Image - Nub News)

How Stockport Council responded

A Stockport Council spokesperson said: "Along with many other Local Authorities, we share the Local Government Association's concerns about the methodology used and we'd caution against using this 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 things like size, demographics, deprivation,  and responsibilities.

"Alternative metrics like peer challenge reviews offer a more comprehensive assessment. Our recent review highlighted our strong partnership working, high performing 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 tackling these challenges through strong leadership and collaboration with our communities and businesses to provide the best service we can for our residents."

The Times have been contacted for a comment.

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