Audit Commission

South Holland District Council is now 'excellent' according to a new report released today by the independent Audit Commission.

The Council's comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) rating increased from its earlier 'fair' score following an inspection of its performance by the Commission. The corporate assessment looked at the Council's ambitions, its ability to improve its services and what it has achieved since the last assessment.

Audit Commission senior manager Nigel Toms said:
'South Holland District Council has made significant progress since our last inspection. It has worked well with its partners and has made improvements in some important areas. It has a clear view about what it wants to achieve, based on a sound understanding of local people's needs and views.'

Strengths include:

• Significantly increasing the number of affordable homes
• Increasing waste collection and recycling rates, which together with low levels of litter and graffiti have helped to promote a clean and green environment
• Working with the police and others to reduce crime and tackle anti-social behaviour
• Creating and encouraging opportunities for new trade, businesses and jobs
• More people taking part in cultural and sporting activities

Key areas for improvement are:

• Helping local people understand more readily what the council is trying to achieve
• Ensuring that all residents can access Council services by improving its understanding of who uses them

Following today’s report South Holland District Council will plan what it needs to do to further improve its services to meet the changing needs of its residents.

Notes to editors

1. CPA provides a simple report in a straightforward way about how well each council is performing. It encourages councils to focus on continuous improvement and provides a robust independent challenge to stimulate positive change. Ultimately it is about working to improve the quality of services councils provide to local people.
2. District councils in England were first assessed for CPA between June 2003 and December 2004 and given a rating of poor, weak, fair, good or excellent. Those councils that have shown evidence of significant improvement or deterioration since then are undergoing a new corporate assessment as part of a rolling programme through to 2009.
3. From April 2009, Comprehensive Area Assessment (CAA) will replace CPA, a significant change for which the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act (2007) was the catalyst. CPA focused only on services provided by local authorities. CAA will look at the public services in an area that are delivered by councils and their partners, including the private and voluntary sectors.
4. CAA will provide, in a single source, information on how well-run local public services are, and how effectively they use taxpayers’ money. It will be more relevant to local people by focusing on issues that are important to them and their communities. A more joined-up and proportionate approach to public service regulation across England, CAA is a partnership of seven inspectorates, offering a shared view about the challenges facing any area - such as crime, community cohesion, environmental sustainability and public health issues.
5. The Audit Commission is an independent watchdog, driving economy, efficiency and effectiveness in local public services to deliver better outcomes for everyone.
6. Our work across local government, health, housing, community safety and fire and rescue services means that we have a unique perspective. We promote value for money for taxpayers, auditing the £200 billion spent by 11,000 local public bodies.
7. As a force for improvement, we work in partnership to assess local public services and make practical recommendations for promoting a better quality of life for local people.
8. Further details about the role of the Audit Commission can be obtained from - http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk