Learning from CPA

Welcome!

This interactive tool is designed to share the experiences and learning from councils acquired from the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) of councils in England. It is designed to stimulate your thinking about how you can tackle similar issues and help aid improvement in your organisation.

What is CPA?

CPA measures how well councils are delivering services for local people and communities. Since its introduction in 2002, CPA has helped councils focus on key areas of improvement and has helped government and regulators target support where it is most needed.

About this tool

Most examples featured in this tool expand on positive findings from our corporate assessment reports on single tier and county councils. The current programme started in late 2005, and this collection will grow as more reports are published. For the important theme of Use of resources, we have also drawn on auditors' 2004/05 assessments of local authorities including district councils. Use of resources and corporate assessments are elements of CPA that contribute to a council's overall rating. The information held in this tool will grow as more assessments are under taken and additional examples become available.

How do I use it?

The blue box on the left outlines the two sections of the tool, Turning ambition into action and Achievement on shared priorities. By clicking on the appropriate feature you can examine the issues in relation to each one along with the supporting case studies (most of these contain additional information to the report). In line with corporate assessments, the content is focused around how well councils engage with and lead their communities, deliver community priorities in partnership with others, and ensure continuous improvement across the range of their activities.