Dear Colleague
CONSULTATION ON INCLUSION OF EFFICIENCY INFORMATION WITH COUNCIL TAX DEMAND NOTICES
The recently published White Paper Communities in control: real people, real power commits Government to making timely and relevant information about public services more available to everyone.
This principle applies just as much to efficiency as to outcomes, and as part of the process of strengthening accountability, I attach a link below to the consultation paper on proposals for including efficiency information on the face of council tax demand notices and accompanying council tax leaflets:
www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/counciltaxefficiencyinformation
I want to equip local residents to challenge their council on whether it is running more efficiently, as they have a right to expect. From 2009 information on waste and better working will be set out with council tax bills, so that local people can see what is happening in their council’s search for greater efficiency. I will consult on that later this year.
This consultation proposes requiring billing authorities to include with council tax bills, up to five measures of efficiency performance, based on the returns to the Department of the national efficiency indicator (NI179).
In designing these proposals, our aim has been to promote clear and concise measures that enable appropriate comparisons to be made.
The five measures are:
· NI 179 actual for two years prior to the bill year;
· NI 179 forecast for the year prior to the bill divided by number of band D equivalent dwellings;
· NI 179 as a percentage of 2007-08 baseline total spend;
· Benchmark NI 179 – average NI179 per number of band D equivalent dwellings for councils of the relevant type (assessed using forecast NI179 data for the year prior to the bill year, and calculated separately with respect to shire district councils, county councils, unitary councils and London borough councils).
Subject to this consultation, we will amend Schedule 1 and / or Schedule 3 to the Council Tax and Non Domestic Rating (Demand Notices) (England) Regulations 2003, to require specific efficiency information on and/or alongside council tax demand notices. We will seek to ensure that any changes that relate to the council tax notices for 2009-10 come into force by 31 December 2008.
I welcome responses to the questions set out in the paper by 16 October 2008. They should make clear when the response is being made formally on behalf of an organisation.
They should preferably be sent by email to LTIE@communities.gsi.gov.uk
Contact details: Ellen Davies
Local Transformation, Improvement and Efficiency Division
Communities and Local Government
Zone 4/H6 Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
Deborah Heenan
Deputy Director
Local Transformation, Improvement and Efficiency Division (LTIE)
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