The Audit Commission has published its second comprehensive performance assessment of English councils. Hammersmith and Fulham Council have again rated as Hammersmith & Fulham Council as "excellent".

The scores given are between 1 (the lowest possible score) and 4 (the highest) on key services - including housing, social services and education - and then ranked as one of excellent, good, fair, weak or poor. Top performing councils are promised freedoms and flexibilities in reward, including "inspection" holidays, a seat on the innovation forum for local government, and freedom from council tax capping. As part of it, HF council will be reporting on its own progress this year.

The Council continues to perform particularly well in housing maintaining its 4 star rate.
Overall, the council has improved in the last year with children's social care and benefits services improving from two to three stars (out of four). According to the Council, these improved ratings recognise the council's role in developing its Children's Trust and a more efficient benefits service.

But the Environment department worsened its performance from 3 stars in 2002 to 2 stars this year. An overall assessment oft environment services is reached by measuring the council's performance on transport, waste management, and planning.

The only recommendation made by the Audit Commission in its report is that the council should "identify and agree the specific steps necessary to rebuild the level of its financial reserves".

The report also says that "good though the council is in explaining its priorities, communication with the local community could be even better".

"The council has a very clear perception of what it wants to achieve in the future. It has also put a lot of thought into analysing how life in the borough would change without robust intervention by the council and its partner organisations. This has certainly been helpful in focusing attention on what needs to be done and which organisations are best placed to do it. However, it has not been widely shared outside the council. It has particular potential for bringing the council's vision even more vividly to life for the local community if it were better publicised."

The Audit Commission also highlights new demands on council services in recent years, such as the significant increase in the number of refugees entering the borough, including unaccompanied children seeking asylum.