 | There is a lot of evidence, which is externally validated, that demonstrates that services are actually improving. For example:
The Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) is carried out by the Audit Commission and looks at how well local authorities deliver services against national standards. A council’s performance is graded between 0 and 4 stars, with 4 stars being the highest, and is accompanied by a "direction of travel statement" for which the ratings are "improving strongly", "improving well", "improving adequately", "not improving adequately", and "not improving”.
The CPA overall rating is based on a council’s:
~ use of resources
~ work with children and young people
~ adult social care
~ culture
~ fire and rescue
~ environment
~ corporate capacity to improve services
In our latest assessment on how we use resources (for,example, how we use money, staff and buildings) we scored 4 and the Warwickshire Fire Authority scored 2.
From April 2009, a new approach to assessing local public services begins. Replacing the CPA framework, Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will assess how effectively local public services are performing, and how well they are working to meet the needs of local people. CAA will bring together the work of several inspectorates resulting in a joint assessment of the performance of all local public service providers. Further information can be found an the Audit Commission CAA Web Pages (www.audit-commission.gov.uk/caa/framework.asp). Alternatively, contact the Planning and Performance Team at Warwickshire County Council on 01926 412805 or performance@warwickshire.gov.uk
However, continually improving all our services is not easy. Often the demand for services is growing faster than the budget needed to maintain the level of service to a growing customer base. Also it is a matter of which services are the highest priority.
To find out more about Council Tax please visit http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/counciltax |