Cumbria County Council 's district auditor has reprimanded them for failing to press ahead with the government's drive for best value efficiency reviews.
The audit, which covered the year 2000-01, made a number of recommendations for improvement, but accepted some of the council's efforts had been diverted by the foot-and-mouth epidemic over recent months.
The Council has created two posts dedicated to working on best value and has seconded a third officer from another department to help handle the workload.
Council cabinet member Coun Donald Jefferson accepted the report criticised the authority and said departments needed to take best value requirements fully on board.
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