Inspections
Inspection is one of the means by which the Commission delivers its strategic objectives. Our inspections aim to encourage the improvement of local services. This section of the website focuses on inspection of services and cross-cutting themes. Information about other types of inspection undertaken by the Commission is available elsewhere – for example, corporate assessments and direction of travel from the CPA.
Inspections are planned and carried out with the aim of maximising the effect of our activities while minimizing the administrative impact on the organisations we inspect.
Audit Commission inspections are undertaken by inspection teams. Under section 10 of the Local Government Act 1999, the Audit Commission may carry out inspections of an English best value authority’s compliance with Part 1 of that Act. Part 1 includes (among other things) the duty on best value authorities to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way their functions are exercised, having regard to economy, efficiency and effectiveness.
‘Best value authorities’ in England are:
- local authorities;
- national park authorities;
- the Broads Authority;
- police authorities;
- fire authorities constituted by a combination scheme, metropolitan county fire and civil defence authorities, and fire and rescue authorities constituted under the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004;
- waste disposal authorities;
- metropolitan county passenger transport authorities; and
- the Greater London Authority, the London Development Agency, Transport for London, and the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.
A broad outline of our inspection activity, including our quality control is set out in the following document:
- Compendium of inspection policy and practice - June 2006
(PDF, 106Kb) | (Word, 188Kb)
A more comprehensive description of our inspection process can be found at:
The starting point for our inspections is the completion of a self assessment by the local authority which helps inform the focus of the inspection. Details of our self assessment and guidance can be downloaded from:
Key lines of enquiry are the detailed questions that help structure and inform our inspections and the judgments that emerge. A set of key lines of enquiry exists for each of the service areas we inspect:
[* Details of our approach to, and supporting documentation for, Housing services and housing association inspections (including supporting people) is available from the Housing website.]
Review procedure for scored judgments
We have set out our procedures for handling how our draft inspection scores can be reviewed at the request of an audited and inspected body.
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