To support local government that empowers individuals and communities and delivers high quality services efficiently.
This DSO will provide a focus for the work of Communities and Local Government to support local government that empowers citizens and communities and delivers high quality services efficiently.
Locally tailored solutions, achieved through a high level of devolution, within a national framework, offer the best opportunity for improving local public services, addressing complex, challenging problems, and empowering citizens and communities and revitalising local democracy.
We will achieve this by completing the implementation of measures in Strong and Prosperous Communities - The Local Government White Paper, the Governance of Britain Green Paper and An Action Plan for Community Empowerment: Building on Success - and by publishing, in the summer, and implementing a White Paper on empowerment.
In particular, we will:
Our work will be consistent with the framework of principles in the new Central-Local Concordat, which governs the relationship between central government and local government and sets out their respective rights and responsibilities.
In broad terms, a successful outcome here will be better places, better services, stronger local democracy and more empowered citizens and communities. Local authorities will be self-confident, innovative, high performing and efficient. They will demonstrate strong local leadership and effective partnership working, to deliver high quality outcomes based on clear local priorities which are agreed by communities, partners and central government.
This DSO will be supported by seven indicators, as set out below (detailed measurement tables are set out in the Measurement Annex):
Public satisfaction with the local area is a key outcome in measuring the success of councils and their partners in delivering their community vision, and creating strong and prosperous communities. It also provides a measure of the social and physical well-being of communities and places. The existing evidence suggests that this indicator is influenced by performance in a wide range of services including waste collection, education and parks and open spaces. It is also related to levels of anti-social behaviour and the extent to which the public feel their area is cohesive and empowered.
An important contribution to empowered communities is the extent to which citizens think they can influence local decisions. Local experience suggests that this can be enhanced by a wide variety of forms of participation and that this in turn contributes to active citizenship.
All groups within society should have an effective voice in making and influencing decisions that affect them. Certain groups are under-represented in civic institutions and decision-making bodies. One aim of this DSO is to reduce this under-representation. The indicator will measure the gap between engagement rates of individuals from unrepresented groups and the rest of the population. The public activities covered include being a local councillor, school governor or magistrate, and also civic consultation, participation, activism and formal volunteering.
We will continue to measure the Direction of Travel (an annual assessment of the rate at which a council is improving) under the current regime of Comprehensive Performance Assessment, through to 2009 when the last CPA results are published. The (forthcomong) consultation document on the Comprehensive Area Assessment proposes that the separate direction of travel judgement will cease. The measure of how well a council is improving will be incorporated in the new organisational and area assessments. We will set new baselines and targets for improvement in the light of the first CAA results in the autumn of 2009. Our means of delivering continuing improvement at the local level includes sectoral improvement support and, where necessary, targeted inspection, central government support and formal intervention.
Under the CAA there will be a single, annual judgement on value for money in the use of resources, which is scored and published for each organisation. The overall judgement will be based upon the evidence from three themes scored by the auditor on managing money, managing the business, and managing other resources. We will set new baselines and targets for improvement in the light of the first CAA results in the autumn of 2009. Our means of delivery include sectoral improvement support and, where necessary, targeted inspection, central government support and formal intervention.
This indicator measures overall success in keeping council tax increases down. Local authorities are responsible for setting their own council tax and budgeting prudently. As announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review, the government expected average council tax increase in England in 2008-09 to be substantially below 5 per cent. The average increase for 2008-09 in England was 4.0 per cent.
This indicator will monitor the further achievements on efficiency in each council and progress towards the 3 per cent per annum efficiency target for all public services set out in the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007. Our means of delivery include sector-led support from the relevant Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership and service sector specific support from government departments. Setting a target in the Local Area Agreement (LAA) or deploying elements of the ladder of intervention remain options for persistent or particularly poor performance.
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