WORCESTERSHIRE is good at tackling green issues but the ongoing flood defence saga in Tenbury Wells needs to be addressed, according to a new independent study.

The performance of councils and public bodies across the county has also been included in the Government’s new Oneplace review.

The value of the study has been questionned by Conservative council leaders, though, who claim it does not reveal anything they do not already know.

Mary-Ann Bruce, Oneplace spokesman for Worcestershire, said: “Crime levels in Worcestershire are low, the area is clean and people are satisfied with living here.

“The area has carried out some very good work on climate change and biodiversity.

“More people are being helped to live at home, rather than in care.”

The comprehensive area assessment (CAA) identified that, overall, Worcestershire was exceptional in its performance to reduce CO2 emissions, water use and addressing climate change.

For example, Worcestershire County Council has reduced its CO2 emissions by 52 per cent since 2002 and is still seeking to do more.

However, the lack of success in gaining enough funding to secure flood defences for Tenbury Wells has been highlighted as an issue of concern that could result in the loss of business to the town if no solution is found soon.

The Oneplace study also includes the organisational assessment (OA), which is very different to the previous comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) so the scores are not comparable.

That is because the OA puts more emphasis on whether public bodies are using their resources effectively and providing good value for money.

It also assesses how well they are managing their performance and it uses more demanding criteria.

Instead of the old star rating, councils are now graded on a four-point scale where 1 means poor, 2 means adequate, 3 means performing well and 4 means excellent.

Worcester City Council scored one of the lowest marks of all Worcestershire’s councils – a 2 across the board – while Wychavon District Council was one of the best having scored a 4 in the managing performance category.

Malvern Hills District Council and Worcestershire County Council were both deemed to be performing well (3 out of 4 overall).

West Mercia Police Authority and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority notched up the same results, while Worcestershire Primary Care Trust was said to be performing to an adequate standard overall.

Worcester leader Councillor Simon Geraghty said just getting a 2 rating was “challenging” given the fact the city council is having to make £4.5 million savings, £3.1 million of which was made this year.

He questioned the whole exercise, which costs councils “tens of thousands of pounds at least”.

“We are in danger of being inspected to death,” he said. “We have got a lot of other challenges we are having to confront while trying to make sure we are delivering services.”

Councillor Paul Middlebrough, leader of Conservative-run Wychavon, said that while he was pleased with his council’s performance, he also had concerns about the study.

“I am concerned that this new organisational assessment exercise, on top of a comprehensive area ass-essment over the county area, is expensive for the taxpayer,” he said.

“In relation to the CAA, I wonder if it tells residents anything they didn’t know?”

ONEPLACE STUDY AT A GLANCE

What Worcester does well:

The city is clean

It is a safe place to live

Improved facilities such as the new St John’s Sports Centre are popular

What Worcester needs to improve:

Collecting council tax and business rates

Assess how all services provide value for money

Complete the new library and history centre and new foot and cycle bridge in Diglis as soon as possible

What Wychavon does well:

Customer satisfaction with the way the council runs things is among the highest in the country

New waste collection arrangements have led to a significant increase in recycling

Council tax is low – it has the eighth lowest district council tax in the country.

What Wychavon needs to improve:

The delivery of the capital programme has slowed due to the recession

There has also been a drop in other investment and service income due to the credit crunch but plans are in place to manage the shortfall

What Malvern does well:

The district is clean

New businesses are starting up and being attracted to the area

Children and young people have more opportunities for play and leisure

What Malvern needs to improve:

People have had to wait too long for their benefits to be paid

Securing more funding to get flood defences built in Tenbury Wells

What Worcestershire does well:

CO2 emmissions have been reduced by 52 per cent

More disabled adults and older people are able to live independently

The state of the roads is better than it was and better schemes are in place so people use their cars less

What Worcestershire needs to improve:

Not all young people achieve the best exam results they could

More year six school children are obese

More children and young people are being admitted to hospital because of alcohol use

What Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority does well:

Fires and deaths and injuries from fires have been reducing at a rapid rate

It responds to incidents quickly

It works closely with other agencies on a wide range of community issues

What Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Authority needs to improve:

Reduce attendances to unwanted fire alarms and malicious fire calls

Sickness levels are high

A few staff members are new to their current posts and are therefore grappling with new areas of responsibility

West Mercia Police Authority:

No specific report but it scored 3 out of 4 (performing well) for the way it manages its finances, governs its business and manages its resources

Worcestershire PCT

No specific report but it scored 3 out of 4 (performing well) for the way it manages its finances, and 2 out of 4 (performing adequately) for the way it governs its business and manages its resources