MALVERN Hills District Council is making slow progress in its town centre enhancement, but is making strides in its waste collection service, a new report has said.

The council received a mixed report from the Audit Commission on the way it works and delivers services.

Overall, the council has improved the delivery of its services and has managed to keep costs under control but has failed to meet its targets for affordable housing and is not giving value for money in its planning services, according to the latest report by the district auditor Elizabeth Cave.

The council was praised for its delivery of waste collection services. "Its own data indicates that it has increased its recycling performance to 24 per cent through improvements in its kerbside collection and has increased the percentage of households participating in recycling to 83 per cent. The council has a good track record of minimising the amount of household waste collected," said the report.

It also praises the council for its work to reduce homelessness and promote community health and well-being.

It has improved take up of concessionary pricing in leisure facilities and by using £16,000 of its own money it attracted a further £45,000 from Sport England to help fund sport activities and work with young people.

"This has enabled the council to address anti-social behaviour and promote health issues," said the report. The council was also acknowledged for its partnerships with other organisations and how this has helped to improve local transport.

But the audit reveals that there has been slow progress in upgrading the town centre even though the council has set up a street scene team responsible for tackling litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour issues.

"The team has been a major determinant in reducing litter and graffiti, especially in identifying and tackling hotspots," said the report.

While its planning services were praised for protecting the local environment, they fall short in engaging the public and consulting effectively with hard-to-reach groups to ensure their needs are met.

The report also said: "The council has failed to meet its targets for affordable housing. The council is not demonstrating value for money in its planning services. Planning services are relatively high cost with performance below national targets, poor customer focus and satisfaction.

"The council has an improvement plan already in place to address weaknesses and has already begun to deliver services."

The Audit Commission was also concerned about the council's pension scheme liability as the council is not currently in a position to meet the future pension liabilities for its workforce. The commission has recommended a number of measures to improve the council's performance, which will be discussed by the executive committee today.