The report said the council is clear about its current and future financial challenges, with increasing service demands and rising costs. It is working hard to address this. The council collaborates excellently with external partners, including the NHS and has set up different ways to engage with its communities.

Continuing to communicate with residents about the difficult choices it needs to make about spending and redesigning services is vital. The council’s plans must look to more radical change and be sufficiently ambitious to meet future financial pressures and service demands. Failing to deliver planned savings and relying on reserves isn’t sustainable.

Recently, an Accounts Commission report highlighted the urgent need for councils to redesign local services. The scale and pace of change across Scotland’s councils must shift as councils are overspending on delivering services and borrowing more.

Andrew Burns, deputy chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “Angus Council has secure foundations to deliver longer-term change – excellent partnership working, long-standing shared projects, a focus on transformation and strong engagement with local communities. The level of partnership working is impressive and a significant strength. What sets the council apart is its focus on many elements fundamental to reform – transformation, community engagement, collaboration and prevention.

“Now the council must build on this to deliver further change to secure its future financial position and protect services. With a budget gap of £24.5 million, additional savings must be made, alongside a much more ambitious redesign of services.”