Unitary Authority · East of England · Local Council Monitor V1.0 · May 2026

Southend-on-Sea UA

Governance scorecard · May 2026 baseline · NOC administration

Composite
67
Moderate
Financial (Sub-1)
75
Strong
Services (Sub-2)
42
Critical
LGO (Sub-6)
85
Exceptional
Southend-on-Sea UA Unitary Authority scores 67 (Moderate) on the Local Council Monitor composite for the May 2026 baseline. Financial governance (Sub-1) scores 75 (Strong), reflecting above-benchmark financial management. Service delivery (Sub-2) scores 42 (Critical), indicating significant service delivery challenges requiring urgent attention. The LGO ombudsman signal (Sub-6) scores 85 (Exceptional), reflecting very low upheld complaint rates and full remedy compliance. The council was under NOC control at the May 2026 baseline. The administration retained control at the May 2026 local elections.
Sources: DLUHC Revenue Outturn 2024-25 · PSAA Audit Opinions March 2026 · DLUHC Waste Statistics 2024-25 · Planning Inspectorate Q3 2025 · DLUHC Housing Delivery Test 2023 · LGO Annual Review 2024-25 · Framework: Local Council Monitor V1.0 · Baseline: May 2026

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